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WWE 2K15 Hands-on Preview

October 6, 2014

“FINALLY!” We get to go hands-on with WWE 2K15! Having skipped the prior two entries in the WWE video game franchise, I have suffered from withdrawal for quite some time now. I started watching professional wrestling when I was 6 years old. I used to purchase every game for every damn console! Eventually, Yukes got lazy. They know it’s true. Now, with 2K in charge of the IP, and Visual Concepts taking the lead, you better “bo-lieve” WWE 2K15 is the first title in a long time to feel different. And different doesn’t necessarily always mean better, but after having 6 matches or so, in this case I believe it will.

The EB Games Expo 2014 build has not been updated, featuring just four superstars: Cesaro, Goldust, John Cena and Randy Orton. Two match types were available: Standard Singles and No Holds Barred. To be entirely honest, I was more concerned with how the core wrestling mechanics felt, so four of the six matches I played were vanilla match-ups. Naturally, the first new element gamers will notice is the collar and elbow tie-up at the outset. Essentially a game of rock, paper, scissors, the feature mimics the beginning of the majority of one-on-one contests in the WWE, leading you into a chain wrestling battle for initial dominance. Once you are in the advantageous position, the players enter into a battle to find a hot spot by rotating the right thumbstick. If you’re opponent has found it before you, you can wrench them using “X” (we played the PlayStation 4 version) or hit them with “Square”, which resets the position of the hotspot. Considering you can’t physically move in these positions, assigning the rotating input to the left thumbstick would make more sense and be all the more intuitive, as, in the game’s current state, you have to either take your thumb of the right thumbstick to wrench or hit your opponent, or hold the controller in a way that you are controlling the right thumbstick with your left thumb.

The tie-up battles are a nice addition purely for authenticity’s sake, however they don’t really lead anywhere, with the competitors ending up separated at its conclusion. A nice tweak to this system would be that the “winner” of the battle ends up in a front headlock grapple where they can then execute the real move of the match as reward. Speaking of, after a certain duration and fatigue level, pressing “X” turns from entering a collar-and-elbow tie-up to the basic front headlock grapple, where you can then pull of one of four directional moves, Irish whip your opponent or strike them. If you go straight into initiating grapple move with a directional input accompanying it, that will perform one of a set of four other manoeuvres. And anything you may have heard about the fatigue system is true…running, even for short bursts, will deplete it significantly and prevent you from executing big moves, along with your finisher should you have it stored/ready. It forces you to play that much smarter and methodically. Perhaps the game could be a little more lenient, but maybe other superstars might have higher stamina to begin with, because in real competition, there are superstars who run for days, so to speak. Look at Daniel Bryan, the Usos and others. A lot of their offence is found at the end of a run-up, and stifling that too much could take the fun out of playing those particular characters.

That being said, the fatigue system is a welcome addition overall, because it adds a layer of realism that was missing in previous titles. The labouring of breath, the struggles to get up, the crawling to the ropes for support and even pronely inching towards your incapacitated opponent just to get your arm over their body for a pin are prime examples of the realistic benefits of the system. Even climbing the ropes becomes a chore for a tired superstar, which can not even be achieved by all superstars this go around, with only a select number having that skill of top-rope attacks in their repertoire. In this regard, the game almost feels like an RPG, but realistically is simply more of a simulation than ever before. Also tied to fatigue, whipping an opponent into any turnbuckle early will see them bounce off instead of staying there. Another appreciated tweak is the fact that, if you attempt a grapple manoeuvre too close to the ropes, your character will physically lead the opposing combatant to the centre of the ring before executing. If there’s one thing I couldn’t stand in the past, it was people doing suplexes at the edge of the squared circle, and the characters sliding inwards because of the invisible barrier on the ropes. Manually, you can also drag, lift up or turn your opponent using the right thumbstick.

Pins are much harder to get out this year, especially after a finishing move or heavy damage has been doled out. On the flipside, as it relates to finishers, charged finishers in particular can be very easy to time and reverse, purely due to the fact that there is a build-up and the supposed victim has an opportunity to anticipate the “Counter” icon. That is an element that definitely needs to be tweaked before release, otherwise matches may become quite easy in general. To close, I want to share something that happened in my match as Cesaro (everyone wants to pick him) against Randy Orton. Firstly, his OMG Giant Swing is cool to witness, but doesn’t exactly feel like a big deal. I think the developers have made certain signature moves OMG moments so they don’t have to choose between which get assigned to “Triangle” as a pure “Signature”, which deprives it of its deserved lustre. However, I was on the floor outside the ring when Randy decided to try and jump on me from the top rope…and I caught him with a classic Cesaro uppercut! THAT was an OMG moment, and it was beautiful. Then, in the ring, I unwittingly countered a move to stack Randy up in a powerbomb pin position and won the match. The animations are so smooth, as are the counters, that it becomes a joy to watch as well as play (obviously). It’ll take some (attitude) adjustment, but WWE 2K15 will be the best WWE video game since Here Comes the Pain. “And that’s the bottom liiiiine!…”

Dead Island 2 Hands On Preview

Vicky Martin

October 5, 2014

Deep Silver have returned from the bloody shores of Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide with an appetising follow-up, that is set to be released in spring next year. While the survival horror franchise was originally developed by Techland (Dying Light), Dead Island 2 is the making of Yager Development (Spec Ops: The Line), who have taken zombies to the luxurious streets and beaches of California. Currently, the game is in the alpha testing stages, but that didn’t stop other fans and myself from joining the queue to play the demo at the EB Games Expo this weekend.

The twelve-minute introduction to Dead Island 2 is just as players would expect it to be; a non-stop hack ‘n slash zombie killing frenzy. An exact replica of what Gamescom demoed earlier this year. So it’s no surprise that the eight player co-op session features a few basic tasks to complete and the chance to go as crazy as you want to . . . in putting an end to the dead. In my first attempt at the demo on Friday, I decided to explore the open-world and kill any of the zombies in my way for my own self-amusement. When I returned to the Dead Island 2 arena on Saturday, I put my game-face on and set out to complete the three main objectives within the time limit.

In the first two tasks, players must scavenge scraps of metal material, tools and batteries and explosives, that will help in assembling weapons of mass destruction. Having collected enough equipment within the convenience store, I was then able to modify my spanner with the shock mod and upgrade to a fire blazing gun; both an electrifying solution for clearing the infected zone of zombies. The ability to modify weapons has been improved since its addition to the Dead Island series, with one of the most unique weapons being the ‘home strike’; a baseball bat with a bowling ball on the end, which allows players to launch zombies in the air like pins from a bowling alley.

The final mission is set along the highway, and demands players to defend the party behind the bar from an angry horde of zombies – of all sizes, shapes and tones – the raggedy walker types and big runners. Without your teammates behind your back, this section can quickly get out of control. Fortunately, I was able to tag alongside a feisty shooter that cleared most of the zombies for me and I managed to kill 58 zombies in total during the round.

Towards the end of the game, there were a few noticeable glitches in the open-world of California, particularly during the swarm of zombies. I encountered a rather intimidating troll-faced zombie in convenience store, who trapped me in a corner and because of the proximity between us, I was unable to swing my arm back and attack him with my spanner. Thankfully, a fellow teammate took pity on me and blasted the dead weight to smithereens. The terrain is beautifully designed within the game, as well as the physical appearance of the zombies – who in fact are the faces of employees from Yager Development, scanned into Dead Island 2. Essentially, players who purchase the game next year will be spending the majority of their time chasing after Yager zombies!

In all seriousness though, I feel that Dead Island 2 wasn’t satisfying enough for me to want to continue playing. I understand that the demo at EB Games Expo is a work-in-progress, so it’s understandable that a few minor issues still need fixing and will be resolved (hopefully) by next year. However, my main concern is the lack of story and emphasis towards a “never-ending” cycle of zombie killing for co-op gameplay will deter players from the game. While the co-op components of the game, namely the side missions, are fun and engaging, particularly with the new weapons system, I think that the competition (a.k.a. ‘Dying Light‘) may just have the winning vote in the zombie killing field. I am interested to see how the tide will fall come the release date on April 21.

Dead Island 2 is planned to be available in 2015 on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. For more coverage on EB Games Expo and hands on previews, please follow the above link.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Review

Travis Bruno

October 5, 2014

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Atlus USA
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Reviewed)
Release Date: September 30, 2014
Price: $59.99 – Available Here

Overview
Popular franchises tend to have long legs, as fans of the series will gladly eat up every subsequent numbered release. The Persona series is a bit different however, since although four main titles have been produced so far, Persona 4 has been extended and received numerous spin-offs and crossovers with Persona 3.

When the fighting game Persona 4 Arena was released a couple of years ago, fans were concerned about what the series had become only to be surprised by a solid fighter that brought their favorite characters into a new storyline. Now with the sequel, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, looking to expand on that story and offer a number of new characters and balances to old fighters should fans of the series pick it up?

Story
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax picks up shortly after the events that occurred in the first game. During a power outage, a mysterious red fog falls over the city of Inaba and unlike the first game, the TV World has begun leaking into the real world, allowing shadow versions of the cast into the real world and causing issues for everyone. As such, the Investigation Team from Persona 4 must once again step in to fight not only against their shadowy selves, but opponents who seem to be under the control of a mastermind.

The story in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is split into two different campaigns. The first campaign focuses on the cast of Persona 4 while the second is focused on the Persona 3 characters. Similar to the last release, the story unfolds through a visual novel format that is only occasionally broken up by a fight that the player must complete to advance. These battles are very simple to complete as they are mostly there as narrative devices and to give the player a bit of a break from reading.

Despite the fact that we see so many of our favorite characters return, the story does tend to be a bit of slog at times. Though Persona 4 Arena Ultimax’s story is a great offering in the limited selection of the fighting game genre, it falls short on delivery this time around. That isn’t to say that there is still plenty to enjoy for fans of the series however, as we get time to not only spend time with our favorite characters that were in the past game, all of whom make a perfect character transition into Ultimax, but also check in on some of the new characters as well.

It is nice to see that the likes of Junpei Iori, Yukari Takeba, and the others actually playing a role in the story where they could easily have been simply placed in as filler for the roster. If anything, the best aspect of the story is the time spent with the cast of Persona 3 who have been mostly neglected in recent years, giving fans a chance to learn more about them as well as enjoy their personalities once again.

Gameplay
Those who have played the first game will know mostly what to expect when it comes to Persona 4 Arena Ultimax’s fighting mechanics as they mostly remain the same between these games, though a few additions and adjustments have been made. Similar to the first title, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax’s fighting engine contains one of the best things a fighting game can offer, accessibility.

The title offers a system that players can learn and pick up within a day, playing through the game’s lessons and basic challenges that reveal all of the basic mechanics and character abilities but at the same time, mastering this combat system will take quite a bit of skill as it is incredibly deep. There are numerous sub-mechanics, including cancels, counters, status effects, frenzies, bursts, special modifiers and much more.

The thing is, there is no real punishment for those who aren’t skilled at fighting games. Throughout the game’s various modes, players can choose to fight on “Safety” difficulty that makes battles against the CPU incredibly easy and even if that isn’t an option, quick combos that can be unleashed by landing quick character strikes that chain into a skill can turn the tide of a fight. Of course that lack of skill will see you being trounced by better fighters online, but the fact that the single player mode is not only expansive thanks to the story mode, arcade mode, score attack mode, and a brand new Golden Arena, is a big plus.

This Golden Arena is an interesting mode that sees players fighting through the floors of battles that take mechanics from an RPG and work them into the fighting system. Players will be able to level up fighters to improve their stats, learn skills that can benefit them in battle, and even build a Social Link with their navigator.

The characters that have been introduced with Persona 4 Arena Ultimax’s expanded roster add extra depth to an already impressive roster that contains characters of every kind. There are long distance fighters, zoners, rush fighters, and more. It is also worth noting that the addition of Shadow versions of most characters adds some another layer of challenge for fighters as not only do Shadow characters lack some special moves of their counterparts, including the spectacular one-hit-kill finishers, they also benefit from a Shadow Frenzy mode that allows rapid skill usage and the ability to carry SP over between rounds.

For those wishing to challenge other fighters online, the game offers a superb net code that holds up very nicely. Rarely did any of my online battles suffer from significant lag or drop outs and thanks to the lobby system and the “enlist” option for ranked matches, it is easier than ever to find an opponent to test your skills against.

Visuals & Audio
One thing that is unfortunate about Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, is that a lot of the character assets have been re-used between the titles, meaning there will be some disappointment for those expecting a completely new looking game. However this repetition is hardly a bad thing when you consider how great the sprites still look today and how faithful they remain to the source material. A few modifications to returning characters have been implemented alongside some new attack animations and the new characters ooze style, especially when it comes to Rise and her microphone attacks and special abilities.

The voice work for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax may be a bit different for longtime fans as some of the voice actors sound like they have been changed in this release, although the actual difference between these new voice actors and their predecessors is quite small. As for the background music and the commentary during matches, that remains just as impressive as ever with some amazing sounding battle themes accompanying the bright, fast paced action that occurs in every battle.

Overall
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a great follow up to an already amazing game. By offering a fighting game that features a fast-pace that is not only incredibly deep, but accessible to those who are novices with the genre is a rarity in the industry. Returning fans that do dive in will find an expanded roster brimming with style and a number of new mechanics and modes to try out. That being said, the story this time around, while impressive, doesn’t surpass its predecessor and a number of returning mechanics make the title feel a bit too similar to the original.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Hyrule Warriors Review

Travis Bruno

October 5, 2014

Hyrule Warriors
Developer: Omega Force, Team Ninja
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Wii U
Release Date: September 26, 2014
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $79.99 AUD – Available Here

Overview
When Hyrule Warriors was announced many Zelda fans were caught off guard. You see, while Koei Tecmo has always had a great relationship with Nintendo, the transition from a series full of exploration and puzzle solving to a series where every puzzle is solved by mowing down hundreds of enemies seemed like quite a stretch. As more and more information was revealed however, fans grew excited about Hyrule Warriors’ potential. The question is, does it live up to expectations?

Story
Everything seems calm as Impa and Princess Zelda oversee fresh recruits being trained by the Hyrulean soldiers. Although very few seem like they are capable, one blonde soldier happens to catch Princess Zelda’s eye. Just as she notices something special, word comes that a large force of enemies is approaching the castle and because of this force, Impa and Princess Zelda rush out to the battlefield where they are soon joined by that blonde soldier, who happens to be Link.

Although Impa and Link are able to fend off these attackers on the battlefield, the castle is infiltrated and occupied by the enemy forces while the Princess is nowhere to be found. With little to go on and an army overpowering them, Link and Impa begin searching for the princess only to learn that a dark sorceress named Cia is behind the assault.

With Cia’s powers, time and space are split asunder as the worlds of Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword are blended together in a story that may not be as memorable as your average Zelda game, but is certainly quite satisfying. Containing a few little twists and a solid enough story that is far different from the standard Warriors offering, fans of the Zelda series will enjoy seeing some of their favorite characters in the spotlight and interacting with one another, even if it is limited to the scope of the battlefield and a few cutscenes.

Gameplay
Hyrule Warriors plays very similar to a standard Warriors game, where players will usually take to the field controlling one of thirteen playable characters and battle alongside their allied army as they face off against hundreds of soldiers from the opposing army. The standard fighting style remains the same, but it isn’t as refined as recent entries in the Dynasty Warriors series.

Despite the lack of refinement, each character that characters can play as has a very unique style. When I say unique I really mean it, unlike other Warriors titles where some styles are extremely close to one another, every character has a special over-the-top fighting style that changes depending on which weapons you bring onto the field. You see, although only one primary weapon can be used at the same time, Link can battle using either his sword and shield combo or the fire rod, each offering a unique move set, special attack (Musou), and magic finisher (Ultimate Musou).

The exciting fighting styles bring extra flair into Hyrule Warriors’ impressive combat system. While standard enemies are easily dispatched, enemy officers can be durable, requiring the player to make use of the game’s dash command (replacing the jump button) to avoid attacks and strike them when they are weak, possibly triggering a finishing blow. Sure it is entirely possible to simply mash the standard attack button to defeat these opponents but it takes a lot of the fun away and can leave you vulnerable to counterattacks.

Outside of fighting with the standard weaponry, various tools such as the bow and arrow and bombs can be used to defeat opponents as well as overcome various obstacles that are blocking your path. Defeating opponents can even drop temporary item boosts that increase each tool’s effectiveness by adding additional affects or more damage. It is also interesting to note that boss enemies from past Legend of Zelda titles will appear on the field from time to time and these large opponents are truly spectacular.

Unlike standard enemies and officers, boss opponents must be dispatched by first attacking their weak point, such as throwing bombs into King Dodongo’s mouth, to temporarily stun them and leave them open for attack and even a unique finisher that changes for every character and every character’s chosen weapon. Taking down these large bosses is usually required to complete a mission but also serve as great sources of experience to raise a warrior’s level, boosting their health and attack damage in the process. It is worth noting that players can also obtain heart containers in missions, some of which can only be obtained by specific characters, which will provide additional health by adding an extra heart to that fighter’s meter.

The aforementioned story all takes place over the course of Hyrule Warriors’ Legend Mode which takes place in linear stages where players will be limited to using only specific fighters for certain stages. These stages all have various tiny puzzles that can be solved as well as mission objectives that change over time. There is also the basic free mode where players can take unlocked fighters and use them at will and a challenge mode to test your skills.

Outside of the Legend Mode, the bulk of your time will likely be spent playing “Adventure Mode” which is a mode inspired by the original NES Legend of Zelda where players can unlock various squares on the map by completing mission objectives with certain grade levels. Beating certain map spaces will also provide the player with item cards such as a Compass or Candle that can be used to uncover hidden objects. The reason I say that the bulk of your time will be spent here is because not only do these Adventure mode stages contain the most variety, including stages where you will need to think and plan your attack properly or face failure, but they also can special characters that cannot be unlocked in the game’s story mode as well as powerful weapons for the cast.

It is worth noting that although the game has a “Smithy” to forge equipment, this option has been stunted severely as players cannot add slots to weaponry nor can they increase a weapon’s level in any way outside of hoping for a better drop. Players can also use various materials dropped from enemies to create “Badges” that unlock additional combo strings for a character as well as provide various defense and attack boosts that will be necessary to face off against some of the more difficult fights.

Visuals & Audio
Many people have been waiting to see what a full-fledged Legend of Zelda game would look like on the Wii U and although Hyrule Warriors isn’t exactly that, the art style and level of detail is a sign of good things to come. The numerous returning characters have all been lovingly revamped for this release and they are quite impressive looking while the new characters fit in surprisingly well despite having KT standards.

The battlefields have a decent amount of variety, but unfortunately there just isn’t enough variety to keep stages fresh after you’ve played them more than twice. With the amount of time players will be spending fighting through various stages, these levels grow to be repetitive very quickly. It is also worth noting that Hyrule Warriors has various problems with the frame rate dropping on stages with any kind of background activity and it really becomes an issue when playing with a co-op partner, as the title clearly has issues handling the amount of action occurring at times.

As for the game’s soundtrack, it is worth noting that there are no voiced characters in this release to go along with the standard Legend of Zelda style, but the game does feature a narrator. This narrator seems out of place compared to the rest of the game which is full of the standard grunts and simple phrases. The background music contains a number of Legend of Zelda tracks that have been remixed into rock songs, offering a unique and enjoyable take on some iconic themes.

Overall
Hyrule Warriors’ combination of gameplay from the Warriors series and story/character from The Legend of Zelda franchise has created a spectacular title that surpasses expectations. With a decent amount of content and variety, fans of the Warriors series will have plenty of hack and slash action to look forward to although they may still find the limited combat system and slowdown disappointing.

As for Zelda fans, the amount of references to the series and solid enough storyline bringing some of our favorite characters together, there is plenty to enjoy here, though the repetitive nature of the combat might be a bit a far cry from what they are used to. Those that can look past these issues will find an enjoyable experience unlike anything else in the Zelda franchise and a new twist for Warriors fans to try out.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Mortal Kombat X Hands-on Preview

Zac Elawar

October 5, 2014

To all my Mortal Kombat brethren, I must apologise. You see, ever since Mortal Kombat X was revealed, we MK fanatics have been scrounging around for any information on the tightly-sealed story of the tenth entry in the iconic fighting franchise, and our best shot at gleaning any details of said story is through the introductory dialogue between fighters as they square up and ready to come to blows. Unfortunately, the conditions – particularly the noise level – of the EB Games Expo 2014, prevented me from making out any full lines of dialogue. Although I did catch tidbits and can give you all some paraphrased quotes at the end of this article.

Before we get to that, it’s funny that a fellow reporter at the event laughed when I complained about being unable to hear the dialogue, stating that I was pretty much the only person who cares about the story in Mortal Kombat, or any fighting game for that matter. That’s unfair. Mortal Kombat has always been the sole fighting property with an actual story, one with established relationships, twists and turns, and proper character motivations. It spawned a film that was not only good, but probably still stands as the best video game to film adaptation made (obviously I’m not talking about annihilation). And Mortal Kombat (2011) rebooted the franchise and the story in an effective and captivating way, introducing an entirely new approach to story-telling in fighting games that just works. So yeah, I am bummed out that in my playtime, Sub-Zero’s quip to Raiden at the outset, and vice versa, was inaudible. But, truthfully, with all that said, gamers attend these expos to get an early preview of blockbuster titles, and I was extremely happy to even get a chance to play Mortal Kombat X. I got in about 14 matches while at the expo (yes, I returned to the booth numerous times) and played every single character available…including the tattooed sorcerer himself, Quan Chi.

Yes, that’s right, Quan Chi was revealed at midnight here in AEST time, and a mere 9 hours later the build was updated! Netherrealm Studios producer Erin Piepergerdes had presumably not flown into the country empty handed. Naturally, I jumped straight into it as one half of the infamous ‘deadly alliance’. Quan Chi is a character that demands practice in order to pull of some of those awesome-looking combos shown in his reveal trailer. They’re definitely not easy to chain together. His ‘Warlock’ variation is his most beginner-friendly, summoning portals that he can then kick, stab or grab opponents through from the other end of the arena. ‘Sorcerer’ is a much more strategy-heavy variant, allowing the player to cast power-enhancing spells, and zones where the player can stand within and become impervious to attacks. Finally, ‘Summoner’ enables the player to summon a Netherrealm demon-bat creature that can then be commanded to shoot a fireball, gnaw on the opponent’s face, or sweep their legs out from under them… I could not command it to do any of those things (looking at the movelist is for “noobs”, after all). Quan Chi feels like a “big bad” and his entrance differs depending on which player chooses him, either riding in on his devil-horse or arriving through a portal brandishing Moloch’s severed head (looks like the Oni’s fate has been decided).

Out of the current 9 character roster, Ferra/Torr is the most unwieldy (think someone like Bane in Injustice: Gods Among Us), and Cassie Cage is easily the most accessible and easy to pick up and chain attacks with. Also, her X-Ray is a real ball-buster. But perhaps my favorite character to play, surprisingly, was Kotal Kahn; the combination of the “Blood Sacrifice”, dropping health a fraction to double damage, and the “Ray of Light”, which heals when stood inside, unless you are the enemy, in which case it deals damage, is extremely powerful. I ended a round in 5 attacks utilising them! Fatality commands were removed from this build, but of note, everyone has five finisher slots except for Scorpion, who has six. Interesting…he’s also the only one who has a name listed for his second fatality, although it is a troll by the developers: “badadadadada whooo!” Maybe it’s Scorpion doing his best Adam Sandler impression as a Friendship? Mortal Kombat X is shaping up to be a smooth, technical fighter.

Okay, so remember how I promised paraphrased intro dialogue? Here’s what Kano says in a mirror match: “Well, look who we have here?”/”One of us is a fake!”/”One of us will die!” More intriguing is this interaction between the new Outworld emperor Kotal Kahn, and Ferra/Torr: “Join me!”/”You want enslave our people”/”I wish to restore you!”. And what does Quan Chi have to say to Sub-Zero? “I have your brother’s soul!”. Lastly, Sub-Zero answering a query about him supposedly being frozen in a block of ice: “Unlucky for you I decided to thaw out!”.

The Order: 1886 Hands-on Preview

Zac Elawar

October 5, 2014

The Order: 1886 has been receiving a lot of flak since, well, first gameplay footage was shown. While the fluidity of the blending between cinematic and gameplay was what impressed me early on, others seemed to hate the apparent focus Ready at Dawn has placed on the cinematic element. Unfortunately, those opinions have only been validated ever since Sony started putting The Order: 1886 in the hands of gamers and press alike at the various expos throughout 2014.

Now it was my turn to see for myself. The demo is the exact same that many of you may have already watched online, featured at PAX Prime, Gamescom and a couple other exhibitions. It begins just outside the Stockley and Co. Distillery as the Knights of the Round Table (The Order) are ambushed from the second storeys of buildings ahead of them. Sir Galahad (Grayson), the player character and main protagonist, takes shelter as Sir Percival (Sebastian Malory), the eldest member of the group and mentor to Grayson; Lady Igraine (Isabeau D’Argyll), Grayson’s apprentice and lover; and Marquis de Lafayette, the youngest among them, engage in gunfire. Gaining control, the player is instinctively influenced to take cover behind a nearby pillar. The Order: 1886 features a sticky cover system akin to that of Gears of War, with “O” entering cover and “X” exiting. Grayson has two weapons at his immediate disposal: the standard Luger pistol, and the creative and devastating Thermite Rifle, which shoots disintegrating pellets filled with aluminium iron oxide, as well as a flare to ignite the solution. Players must first spray the flammable liquid using R2, much like a normal gun, and then follow up with the flare by pressing R1, much like a secondary fire mode in other shooters.

This resulting ball of flame from the above combination burns through cover (not to mention enemies), and can be used in contextual and scripted situations, such as blowing up the top level of the distillery and using the magazine itself as a placed explosive, which you are required to do a bit later in the demo to create an exit. Aesthetically, it’s a spectacular gun with dazzling effects, but the impact upon ignition isn’t quite as strong as expected. What is neat, however, is being able to extend the fiery wall (to a limit) by spraying more aluminium iron oxide onto the flame and and directing it outwards. Progressing forward, Lafayette gets hit and the remaining trio work to drag him to safety. Here, the player must aim and shoot at foes above as Grayson drags his comrades body. Aiming accurately here was nigh impossible, and more confounding was the fact that you could kill three guys before a fourth emerges and deals the final blow with a pipe bomb of sorts, but restart from that checkpoint and fail to kill even two, and somehow the game allows you to survive. Perhaps the title scales difficulty if you fail a certain number of times, but we were never made aware of that functionality. After a short cutscene, picking up a collectible and moving forward, my controls went completely haywire…

Now, coming out of the EB Games Expo 2014 this weekend, having played The Order: 1886 for the first time, I was sorely disappointed for a few specific reasons. The biggest of those were the controls, but after putting things in perspective, heeding the staff’s warning that the demo is still buggy, and conversing with some fellow reporters who had no issues in this department during their own playthrough, I concluded that I was simply a victim of said bugs. Sir Galahad would run in circles without any input, refuse to enter cover and not respond to my attempts at aiming with the right thumbstick. It was extremely frustrating. The game already feels clunky and overwhelmingly heavy as it is. The other major issue relates to feedback. While the weaponry is impressive and intimidating, both visually and conceptually, they lack any true feeling of impact upon firing and landing shots. The Order: 1886 has some great ideas in place, and I’m all for a story-focused experience, but Ready at Dawn have their work cut out for them if they want to meet the already revised release date of February 20, 2015, and avoid another delay.

Splatoon Hands On Preview

Vicky Martin

October 5, 2014

Splatoon
Developer: Nintendo Co. Ltd
Publisher: Nintendo
Format: Wii U (Previewed)
Release Date: TBC

Splatoon may just be the craziest upcoming Nintendo title to date, a platoon of colourful warfare over turf that will splash onto the Wii U console next year. The unique third person shooter is more ‘paint bomber’ than call of duty and is comprised within a tight-knit arena, similar to an enclosed skate park for skating tricks and graffiti. Currently playable at EB Games Expo this weekend, Splatoon, is still in the development stages and, therefore has not been confirmed on a set release date yet, however it is expected to be available during the first quarter of 2015.

The fast-paced and addictive action game invites players to join in online battles between two teams of four, each with a specific colour. Before the co-op round begins, players must go through a basic tutorial to become accustomed to the controls and daunting ‘paintball’ atmosphere. To aim the ink gun, players need to tilt the controller up and down and have balloons of ink scattered across the arena for target practice. As adorable ‘inklings’, players are able to switch between two forms throughout the game; a young girl or squid-like creature (imagine a more attractive version of Squidward from SpongeBob Square Pants). The human versions are designed to shoot rivals, jump and throw super soakers of ink at players or in hard to reach areas. In comparison, squids are primarily used for replenishing the ink generator and moving faster through the splattered goo on the floor of the arena.

In Splatoon, the objective is straightforward; win the turf war by spraying the most amount of your team’s ink in two timed rounds. By covering more territory, players can unlock powered-up super weapons for more explosive results. While it may seem like good fun to split up, invade the enemy’s turf and defeat the rivals, it’s important for teams to remember that success is the direct result of strategy and working together. If players die in an inky shoot-out, they re-spawn at the starting point in their turf and essentially have to backtrack to the other side of the map to get revenge. However, a loophole exists on the Wii U gamepad – players can tap a point in the arena they wish to reach and instantly jump across to the chosen destination after respawning. The gamepad map is an essential tool in the Splatoon, as it gives players a birds-eye view of the arena to help them pinpoint each of their team member’s locations and focus on the areas that haven’t been covered in the teams ink so far. What is really great about the map is that this feature speeds up the gameplay process, so players can cover as much ground as possible and make the best use of their time within the set period.

In terms of the scoring system, players can earn the most amounts of points from shooting enemies or unleashing the special explosive ink device, which is only accessible when the ink generator is fully charged. The team that is able to trap their opponents in a more confined space on the map first, are usually the winners of the round. The reason behind this tactic, is that the players health is seriously affected when travelling through a different colour ink.

What appeals to me most in the game, Splatoon, is the vibrant atmosphere and the fact that it is up to the players to decorate the arena. Whether the pallet is blue and pink or green and purple, the mix of two colours from two teams is just the right dose of primary colour inks for painting. The soundtrack is upbeat and has just the right tempo to keep players head in the zone for ink wars.

Based on the preview, I have to say that Splatoon is definitely one of the most memorable and fun upcoming titles from Nintendo. If you have a Wii U, then it’s in your best interest to splash into the paintball arena next year. While the concept is easy going and would appeal to all ages, I am interested to see whether the developers take the game a step further to solo missions and offering players a diverse range of challenges in different maps of the game. For more coverage on the EB Games Expo and hands on previews, please follow the link here.

Assassin’s Creed: Unity Hands Off Impressions

Vicky Martin

October 4, 2014

Ubisoft Production Manager, Jeffrey Spicer demoed Assassin’s Creed: Unity at EB Games Expo Sydney this weekend. The demo that was originally featured at Gamescom this year, takes players into the first ‘black box mission’ for the single-player campaign. During the French Revolution in Paris, 1789, Arno Dorian is assigned to assassinate a member from the Templar Order, Charles Gabriel Sivert in Notre-Dame, as part of his journey to carve a new destiny for the nation.

One of the most unique elements in Assassin’s Creed: Unity is the parkour system, which enables players to move more fluidly and freely in the game, rather than follow the object-to-object approach used in previous titles. The ‘black box mission’ allows players to choose their own path of action, instead of sticking to a predestined linear course to reach their target. In the demo, the first objective for Dorian is to kill one of the criminal associates of Sivert without getting caught. The enhanced stealth mode and eagle vision is perfect for strategic gameplay, and as such, the assassin gets the job done with a smoke bomb and sharp blade. Before entering Notre-Dame to complete the final task, Dorian must track down the keys to the palace, that were stolen earlier from the clergyman; and does so by tailing the culprit into a tavern and stealing back the keys.

During the demo, Jeffrey discussed the seamless interior design of the iconic landmark, stating that;

“It took one individual 5,000 hours to model and integrate the architectural design of Notre-Dame”.

In saying that, the absolutely breathtaking visuals of the city’s entirety in Assassin’s Creed: Unity, would not be possible for Ubisoft without the power of next-gen engines.

The demo concludes with Dorian sneaking into the Cathedral, knocking out guards one-by-one and making quite the entrance from the ceiling to the ground floor, by diving into a barrel of hay. Unaware of his associates recent demise, Sivert walks into the confessional booth and ends up speaking to the assassin, who does not hesitate to cut the enemy’s throat. Although the mission feels complete once the target dies, players are only successful once they safely escape the scene. Using the map, Dorian discovers an underground exit through the catacombs and sewers below the palace, however the area is a restricted zone that will trigger a security breach. Players need to be weary of the decisions they make in the game and what consequences will arise from them. Just so we’re clear, the Production Manager completed the mission successfully!

Assassin’s Creed: Unity will be released November 13 on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. Don’t forget to pre-order the exclusive Notre-Dame edition from EB Games here. By pre-ordering the game, players can join the Unite program with friends to create a brotherhood and unlock a variety of rewards, including the official digital soundtrack and the first chapter of the comic book, The Fall.

To check out all our coverage from EB Expo 2014, with more hands on experiences being added constantly, just follow the link.

Hands-on with Battlefield Hardline’s Hotwire Match Type

Zac Elawar

October 4, 2014

Hands-on with Battlefield Hardline’s Hotwire Match Type

Battlefield Hardline represented Electronic Arts Australia’s biggest offering at the EB Games Expo 2014, which isn’t much of a statement when considering that the already released EA Sports FIFA 15 was the only other EA-published title on show. But, it was also one of the most popular, highly anticipated titles of the show, period. We got to go hands-on with the title’s Hotwire match type, playing 8v8 on the High Tension map. Read on for our impressions…

But first, we must comment on the booth EA had set-up at EB Expo. Of course, it had to be huge to accommodate 32 or however many players were playing at any given time. But, the really cool element to proceedings was the “processing” of attendees. Before entering, we had to register our Facebook accounts at a computer station. I’ll admit, I wasn’t too comfortable signing into my Facebook account with others peering over my shoulder; hopefully no one there had amazing recall. The purpose of this, however, was to sign up for Rap Sheet, which is a Facebook app that tracks your stats in the game. We then got wrist bands with a little NFC chip in it that we were required to tap against a reader to punch in our start time with the game. The best part was being split up into Cops and Robbers, being led into a mock police station office and jail cell respectively. Here, we were given a short presentation, including the newest trailer, but shifting to focus specifically on Hotwire. After this, we finally jumped into the game.

The match lasted for 15 minutes and, well, let’s just say that I have not represented myself well with shooters at this year’s EB Expo. I ended up placed on the side of the Robbers, and I doubt I helped our cause at all. Maybe that’s a good thing though? I mean, I’m a law-abiding citizen! Perhaps deep down I despised my partners in crime and rather hoped the good guys would take the win. Yeah, that’s my reasoning for my terrible performance, and I’m sticking to it. As you await a countdown to join the game, you are given options of spawn-points; you can spawn on any team-mate’s location, and that includes in a moving vehicle. I opted for the latter most of the time, although not having played a Battlefield title in some time, and the controls reference not mentioning anything about how to enter and exit cars, I was often stuck in one until I died…I said I was God-awful, but I swear I pressed every damn button on that Xbox One controller! Nonetheless, Hotwire is a mode focused on the repossession of marked vehicles across the map, so vehicular gameplay is the basis for this particular mode. Eventually, I acclimated to switching between seats, supporting the driver with gunfire, or taking the wheel myself.

When at the helm, you’re either focused on avoiding the enemy for long periods of time, raising your points for keeping possession of the marked car, or purposely ramming them to earn points through kills. Sometimes a driver may decide he wants to traverse the battlefield on foot. When he does so, the character in question states “You take the wheel!” to the passenger. It’s usually not too advantageous to travel as 3 or 4 in one vehicle anyway, especially when there are 3-4 objective cars to commandeer throughout the city. Switching between driver’s seat, passenger seat and rear passenger seat can still be done at the press of a button, but now you can also sit on the edge of the passenger door window frame, hair blowing in the breeze, with a better view of the streets. The drawback is of course that you are sacrificing protection by hanging out the window like that, more susceptible to opposing fire. The match type had its fun moments, notably when you drive through infrastructure and bridge barricades to drop down to another street and create your own destructive short-cuts. But, it also felt like you were essentially driving in circles in a map that felt big on foot, but not so much in-car.

With the game being delayed to a now February release window (yikes that’s a scary time to release with Evolve, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, The Order: 1886 and Bloodborne all coming out in the month of love!) and another open beta planned for sometime in January, there’s lots of time for Visceral Games (and DICE) to tweak and perfect each of the 7 match types included. With Hotwire in particular being an entirely new match type for the developers and the franchise, it will certainly benefit from that time and added feedback.

Forza Horizon 2 Interview with Art Director Ben Penrose

Zac Elawar

October 4, 2014

Ben-Penrose-EB-Expo-2014-Photo-01 — **See Ben, no one can even tell you spilled coffee on your shirt! … Oops!**

A few developers made the long trip ‘Down Under’ from all over the globe to attend the EB Games Expo 2014. One in particular missed his own launch party for the commitment – Ben Penrose, Art Director on Forza Horizon 2. Based out of Royal Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England, the team at Playground Games pleasantly surprised everyone by helming an off-shoot of the previously simulation-only, circuit racer Forza Motorsport, and taking the franchise into an open-world, more arcade-y setting with Forza Horizon in 2012, and doing so in amazing fashion. A critical hit, its sequel looks to be even more so, proving the developers’ mettle. We got to spend about ten minutes with Ben, who got into the country at the start of the week, avoiding jetlag and drinking his coffee bright and early before doors opened for the public…well, at least attempting to! (Sorry, Ben! Got ya twice! I’m so horrible…)

So, we’ve gone from Colorado in the U.S. to parts of Italy and France for Forza Horizon 2. What went into the decision-making process and, ultimately, the final decision to set the game in Southern Europe?

Well, when we made the first one, we got to the end of the process, and…quite often, when you’re making a game, you spend all this time making it and you never really get the chance to properly digest it as a thing sometimes. So what we did was we took some time off and afterwards, we played it and we talked to people, such as the press, and we got everybody’s opinion, kind of channelling everyone’s feedback into one place, trying to work out exactly what it was that people connected with in Horizon. And we called this an “emotional core exercise”, so at the end of it the idea was we find out exactly what made Horizon Horizon, with the view that next time we ramp those particular, specific dials up. And that worked really well. In terms of the artwork and setting, one of the things we sort-of centered on was this concept of “Horizon beauty”, and we called it Horizon beauty because it’s a very specific implementation of pretty. What that is, is something that’s maybe not particularly traditional for video games, but it was the kind of thing you’d want to drive a supercar through or alongside, so poppy fields are very naturalistic; picturesque vistas; landscapes…we had quite a lot of that in Colorado, and when we started picking the next place, Southern Europe just had so many things that kinda ticked those boxes in terms of natural beauty and things that people just go nuts with when they’re on holiday, and take pictures of. So yeah, it was kinda like a no-brainer, because there’s literally so much there that we could sink our teeth into for that particular feeling.

Being closer to home than Colorado, I’m assuming you definitely made the trip down to these locations for reference. How much time did you spend there?

So, on the first one, when we sent the guys over, they were gone for like a month, because you have to get a lot of material to make a game. And it’s an expensive trip to go to Colorado, so we did it all in one way because it was so far away, and when we did this one in Europe, because it’s obviously so much closer, it meant we could go in shifts, which was actually quite useful because it meant we could go over there and do a bit of France and then bring the stuff back and kind of assess what we manage to get before we went out for the next one.

Clearly it’s not a 1:1 recreation of the landscape and layouts of these areas, so what parts did you have to change to better accommodate an open-world racing experience? Because realistically, not every road layout is as it is in real life is going to be conducive for such gameplay, right?

The design team did a really good job on taking the original roads – because they are very much the original roads – and they kind of twisted them and turned them into these amazing racing circuits. It’s good, as you kinda take the original landscape and you turn it into a giant landscape. So it’s thanks to those guys that it plays so well basically, because they did a good job of carving out these paths. We spent ages racing around a particular area, and if it didn’t feel quite right and you couldn’t fall into it in a way that feels satisfying, we’d tweak things so you do.

With the fantastic new lighting system and weather effects that are possible in Forza Horizon 2, how did you find the experience of working with and in consideration of these tools in the art department?

We actually developed a couple of things specifically for the game. So, on the first game, we went through this really elongated process, especially when it came to lighting, in designing the sky, and we had an artist go around literally picking the colours they would punch into the sky; so a particular kind of blue for midday, and that would have to be animated. And it’s actually a really difficult thing to get right. So what I wanted to do in the sequel was try and remove that issue entirely, and we had one of our rendering engineers basically produce a model of the atmosphere in its entirety, which is incredible – he’s a very intelligent guy. What that did was, instead of us picking colours, it allowed us to say “the sun is here and it is this powerful, as is the Sun in the real world” and it literally scatters through the atmosphere and produces all of the colours and atmospheric effects you would see in real life. So it completely removed that headache, but the other thing that’s really cool is it allowed us to dial into exactly where we’d set the game; so we could put in certain latitudes, you know, we could actually make the sky reference the position in Southern France where we’ve set the game. And as is quite famous, particularly in that part of the world…you know, it’s been visited by artists and photographers for literally hundreds of years because the quality of the light is so particularly great. So what was cool was, we actually had a chance to replicate it in digital form, and I like to think that when you play the game, you see the light bouncing off the cars and everything and we have somehow managed to capture a little bit of that magic.

So this is a cliché question, but with early reviews coming in, and the game receiving such high praise, what are you most proud of overall, but also personally with your own contributions as Art Director?

When we went out to do the original research trips, especially the ones in Tuscany, I completely fell in love with the landscape because I had actually never been there myself; so it was the first time I’d visited. And I remember thinking “if we can make this look like this in the game, people are going to have a lot of fun with this world” because it’s so completely different to every other open-world experience I think is out there in terms of how it is represented visually. And during production I was playing the game and driving through these hills, and I thought “do you know what, I think we’ve actually managed to do this”. I was having memories of driving around in our research trips which was exactly what I wanted to happen. So, it is an example of a plan that came together perfectly.

Well thanks so much Ben, it was really cool talking to you. I should have my own copy today or tomorrow.

No worries, it’s been a pleasure! I’ll see you on the roads.

Thanks again to Ben Penrose, Art Director on Forza Horizon 2 over at Playground Games for the time. For the record, I attempted to futilely fish for any hints at future entries’ settings (expected an artful dodge, naturally), but Ben answered that, with the team having just celebrated their launch, they are probably still suffering from the hangovers. The plan is to take a much deserved break, but select members had seen some locations on previous research trips that enticed them (makes me want to know which ones even more!). For now, we’ll also be taking a break…from our lives that is, as we play Forza Horizon 2, available now worldwide, exclusively for the Xbox One and Xbox 360.

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