Quantic Dream are a game studio with a difference. See choice is everything! That’s also true in life too. So why not make a few video games that perpetuate the notion of choice determining the direction? Easy! Actually the concept sounds more logical than easy. Quantic Dream games like Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls and Fahrenheit provide challenges like no other. The latest edition to the Quantic Dream library is Detroit: Become Human. A story that allows players to take control of three main protagonists in a world which views artificial Intelligence both an asset and the enemy. In Detroit: Become Human we play as, Connor; an upcoming aid to police enforcement. Markus; a hired hand (or butler of some kind) to some savvy rich chap and finally, Kara; a maternal type who is hired to be a maid/baby sitter/cook by Todd. You get the picture. The three all have very different backgrounds and motives within the rebellion. I found it enriching to watch each character progress through Detroit: Become Human.
In essence Detroit: Become Human is whatever you want it to be. As I just completed the game on live stream, I tried to play the bulk of Detroit: by making decisions I would make in real life. You may choose a completely different path; to which different outcomes would occur. All three protagonists have very different personalities but at times their traits are tested. Early on in the game Kara has to make decisions on how to deal with her human owner. Without spoiling too much of Detroit: Become Human, Kara not only has her own A:I wellbeing to consider but has to consider Alice’s safety too. Alice is Todd’s daughter and it is clear from the opening this relationship that Todd is not the best role model for Alice. He drinks too much, smokes too much Pot and clearly does not know how to keep a neat house. Alice is scared of him as Todd often flies off the handle; unprompted. What is Kara’s role within this dysfunctional father/daughter relationship? Well A:I done have feelings right? They don’t feel sympathy, empathy, fear, anger or love do they? The short answer is: you are wrong. In Detroit: Become Human Artificial Intelligence; it could be argued, is the wrong term. What we realise very quickly is that Kara is able to question Todd’s approach. Kara has to make decisions on how to help (or not help) Alice. The rift between humans and Artificial Intelligence is what drives Detroit: Become Human’s foundations. The rest is up to you.
Detroit: Become Human is a game that will push your decision making. At times your decisions are forced to be made within a certain time limit which adds to the pace of the game. Be prepared for your palms to get sweaty! Ultimately I enjoyed the connection between the game and myself. Detroit: Become Human got my heart racing and at times I felt the devastation of knowing that I made the wrong decision within seconds of making it. By then it was too late. Detroit: Become Human does not give you a second chance so every decision has to be made with certainty. This is not a bad thing. Arguably it makes for great replay value as Detroit: Become Human can be played multiple times with multiple different endings. I believe Heavy Rain had over twenty different endings. It is reported that Detroit: Become Human has over forty different endings!
Does Detroit: Become Human surpass previous Quantic Dream games? I would say that it is not as good as Heavy Rain but it is much deeper than Beyond Two Souls. If you have not played either of those two games then all I can say is that you really will enjoy Detroit: Become Human. If you have played Heavy Rain and beyond Two Souls then I firmly believe Detroit: Become Human will give you a run for your money.
For the most part Detroit: Become Human flows. The pacing can easily slow down at times when the script becomes stagnant. At times certain scenes seem awkward, with stale lines of dialogue. This is a minor detail and perhaps it is something you might not experience when playing. In addition, I found that some tasks did not have a big enough purpose. When Markus played the piano in the mansion it seemed to serve no purpose other than to extent meaningless dialogue. Ultimately these small gripes do not detract from Detroit: Become Human being a fantastic addition to the PS4 library. It might not be on the same gripping level as Heavy Rain but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Is Detroit: Become Human worth buying? Given the replay value alone I would say that it is a must own PS4 game. Even if you chose to play Detroit: Become Human only once you’re going to get an experience that stems much further than the crippling generic woes of a, say a Battle Royale game. If you don’t buy Detroit: Become Human then I believe you are truly missing out. Happy gaming! Post by Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
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It all started with an explosion in a jail. Now I’m not talking about an Alcatraz style jail breakout. No! This is Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar released a brand new insight in to the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2 which is set to launch on the PS4 and Xbox One (sorry PC fans) on October 26th 2018. Set in 1899 during the rise of the Modern World; the life of outlaws is dying. Making way for a brand new experience in the hands of Arthur Morgan. Red Dead Redemption 2 promises a “living world” that is “deeper and more interactive and detailed than ever”. Rockstar showcased some new details of Red Dead Redemption 2 that makes us pray October 26th will come fast! Both the shooting and fighting mechanics have been redesigned to give us players a sense of immersion. Primitive actions such as hunting seem like a standard activity within Red Dead Redemption 2. Camps can be created, interact with many characters, bond with your horse, choose your path and watch the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 unfold. Don’t be fooled though. Red Dead 2 will make us work for our share of the venison. Hunting and killing wildlife will enable us to sell and trade for worthy goods. All of this set across gorgeous new backdrops of forests, desert, mountains, towns and more Red Dead Redemption 2 could potentially be a Game of the Year contender.
Red Dead Redemption 2 has been available for pre-order for a while now. With the new Red Dead 2 trailer dropping I predict even more pre-orders. In fact at the end of this trailer the narrator stated that the second gameplay trailer would include a look at missions in Red Dead Redemption 2. Don’t just take my work for. Check out the NEW Red Dead 2 Trailer here:
The Indie gaming community continues to stun gamers with unbelievable games like Tanglewood; a Sega Mega Drive 2018 release, the critically acclaimed FEZ, Unbox and a thousand more games! Today I received an email about an upcoming Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC game that looks to be a promising entry to the first person shooter indie titles this year. The following is an unedited press release which gives deeper insight in to the upcoming Polygod.
London, UK — 19th July, 2018: Indie studio Krafted Games today announced its much anticipated minimalist, rogue-like, randomly generated FPS, POLYGOD which features a brutal difficulty curve, epic boss fights with arena-shooter style online multiplayer/co-op and local multiplayer modes, will launch worldwide for Xbox One, PC Steam and Nintendo Switch on 17th August, 2018 for £16.19 / $14.99 / €16.59. “It's been a long road to release and we're super excited to finally get the game into the hands of our community” commented Dominic Obojkovits, co-founder, Lead Designer & Programmer at Krafted Games. “ We firmly believe PolyGod offers a unique take on the FPS genre and are confident that our ideas and game direction will strike a chord with the hardcore fans of the genre worldwide ” POLYGOD features a different gameplay experience with each play session, the studio have implemented randomly generated level system that will challenge even the most hardcore of the hardcore! With incredibly deep weapon customisation and extensive multiplayer features including online and local multiplayer modes, Krafted Games believe gamers will find elements to keep them coming back for just one more run, over and over again. POLYGOD has already attracted a legion of fans at Early Access on Steam with its distinctive, bold visual style and solid gameplay mechanic. Now poised for launch on XboxOne, Nintendo Switch as well as full launch on Steam for PC, POLYGOD is ready to challenge even the most refined FPS guru. Our brand new announcement trailer can be found on YouTube here.
Blog post by: Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
It’s is fair to say that I love retro games. In fact when you’re done go and take a look in my games room to marvel at some of the many thousands of video games lurking in The Lady Lounge. Now recently The Sega Mega Drive Classics (Sega Genesis Classics) was released on the PS4 and Xbox One which bundles in 50 classic Sega Mega Drive titles such as the Streets of Rage trilogy, Sonic 2, The Golden Axe trilogy, Altered Beast and more. Sounds great right? Well a lot of gamers have echoed disappointment at Sega’s latest revamping of the 16bit classics! This is mainly down to the lack of Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles (which are both playable on the Sega Mega Drive Collection on PS3 and Xbox 360). I totally get why gamers are frustrated at this but let’s try to focus on what the Sega Mega Drive Classics is rather than what it is not. Albeit I predict more games will be added in dlc bundles in due time.
Upon firing up The Sega Mega Drive Classics for the first time you are greeted with a really cool pixelated intro showcasing many characters from the Sega Mega Drive classics. From there we are launched in to an old 90’s looking themed bedroom which acts as the game’s portal in to the Sega Mega Drive games themselves, challenge logs and more. This is super cool and really pulls on the nostalgia element of my heart. What really matters though are those 50 amazing Sega Mega Drive games. How well do they actually play? Sound There’s no denying the awesomeness of the Streets of Rage trilogy soundtrack. I played all three games on my PS4 Pro and was astonished that there were a lot of audio glitches. At times the sound stuttered a lot and this increased when there was a lot of on-screen action. There’s nothing much more to say here really. Perhaps it will be fixed in a future patch?
Far Cry games have been a prominent feature within the gaming world since the last generation of gaming. I often hear gamers talking about the immersive jungle environments of Far Cry 2 or first being able to fly a helicopter in Far Cry 4. I could type for days on the intricacies and beauties of the Far Cry Games.
Far Cry 5 is set in present day Montana and has a dark cultist backdrop which has drawn significant parallels in to the current climate of certain portions of the U.S. Is this a mistake some ask? Of course not. A source of at alphr.com explain how Far Cry 5’s director “is based on how real-world cults spread their roots”. In this article the author went on to quite the Far Cry 5 director in his efforts to explain the link between Far Cry 5 and the controversial cult setting: “Imagine that you own a farm and a good portion of land. One day, you realise that the neighbours have sold their land to a bunch of eccentric people. The day after, hundreds of eccentrics are settling down. Their presence impacts the nearby landscape, your farm too. Business is going south and the presence of the eccentrics has devalued your property. Nobody wants to purchase it anymore, except the eccentrics who will buy on the cheap. That’s an example of how some cults have operated to acquire a targeted area and spread.” It is understandable at how Far Cry 5’s current social relevance can be offensive to some people. In the terrible light of numerous gun tragedies, racism, bigotry and in fact all forms of discrimination; the notion of Far Cry 5’s social relevance can seem a little brutal. Ultimately there is no denying the link between certain climates seeming parallel to Ubisoft’s latest Far Cry adventure. How do I feel about it? I believe relevance to be a wonderful thing and social relevance can be displayed in a video game then surely that is down to the gamers themselves on whether they want to play it right?
Back in 2017 The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild was coined Video Game of the Year based on the people’s choice. Super Mario Odyssey secured the second spot. The Nintendo Switch had an amazing launch year in 2017 and at the time of writing this the Nintendo Switch sold over ten million consoles world wide. For a video games console that hasn’t one been out for 12 months that figure makes my head spin. 2018 is set to be just as good of a year for the Nintendo Switch with some prominent Nintendo Wii U games launching on the console within the first six months.
Having spent a lot of time with Super Mario Odyssey over the last couple of months I feel I’ve got a lot to say about Mario’s latest adventure. In fact I would go as far to say that Super Mario Odyssey should have taken him the title of Video Game of the year (2017). You might not agree but I urge you to read the remainder of this blog then let me know your final thoughts in the comments. Now before we go any further we have to note the Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece. I am a huge fan of it despite initially feeling sceptical. In fact I was also sceptical about Super Mario Odyssey. Some of the earliest footage I saw was with Mario running around a city approaching business men! “This is not a Super Mario game!” Fast forward to now and I can honestly say that I was wrong to judge. Super Mario Odyssey serves up a beautiful 3D experience of ploughing through bustling kingdoms and moon hunts. Odyssey offers up a tasty menu of new characters too with Cappy being the most notable. Cappy amplifies Super Mario’s abilities within the kingdom’s enabling him to jump higher, morph in to enemies and leap to the highest ledges. Super Mario feels more super than ever before. Again I was apprehensive about Mario’s new top man but Happy really does add a lot of value in to Super Mario Odyssey.
It has been a great year for the survival horror genre. What with the explosive Resident Evil VII and now The Evil Within 2; the sequel to the 2014 release of The Evil Within. Currently Resident Evil VII is my game of 2017 as I was mighty impressed with the new atmosphere of the mansion and the Bakers really added a creepy twist the campaign. Could anything beat Resident Evil VII? Could there be a video game that surpassed the fright, horror and sadistic nature of the RE VII? My answer is simple: no. Or at least not yet.
The Evil Within 2 is nowhere near as enticing as quest to find Mia in Resident Evil VII. Here’s the thing; The Evil Within 2 is not supposed to be. The Evil Within 2 is its own game which brings a whole new level of horror compared to the first game: The Evil Within. Now we’ve gotten that out of the way let’s explore what really shines about The Evil Within 2. The Evil Within 2 is nowhere near as gory as the first game. Perhaps Shinji Mikami’s role as Producer rather than director had something to do with the change in vibe in The Evil Within 2. The game serves a plethora of tense moments rather than scary moments in my opinion. I didn’t expect this either as I was hoping for many more jump scares but sadly The Evil Within 2 didn’t provide it. Shelve that and what we have here is a desperate father trying to find his daughter whom he previously believed to be dead from a house fire. It turns out that she is indeed alive after Mobius faked her death. Lily was exploited by Mobius in their efforts to create a new STEM core in a simulated town called Union. Union forms the foundation in The Evil Within 2. Sebastian is recruited by Mobius to try and save Lily after contact was lost. At various points during The Evil Within 2’s story is drip fed through the interactions between Sebastian and other characters. We soon come to realise the wrath of Stefano Valentini too. The plagued and extroverted photographer obsessed with death. Stefano's characters added some vert tense moments in to The Evil Within 2 but I won't spoil the surprises too much for you. Ultimately, I think the pacing of the story is perfect and not overloaded with lengthy cut scenes or dialogue. I am usually put off by lengthy cut scenes and excessive dialogue but the pace of the story really worked in The Evil Within 2.
Eurogamer 2017 has finished and we are all returning back to reality after being graced with playing some of the best upcoming video games of 2017 and 2018. Video games that will don the PS4, Xbox One X and PC alike. EGX 2017 did not just serve up AAA titles though but we were blessed with a mighty EGX Rezzed section. Indie developers stole EGX 2017 for many with games like Bloody Zombies, Dead Cells, Raging Justice and more. Lets take at look at some of this years EGX highlights as I was fortunate enough to play more of the AAA sites across two days.
Assassin’s Creed Origins Over the last few Assassin’s Creed games I’d lost interest. The franchise seemed to grow incredibly repetitive and stale with ever-growing similarities in the parkour and general gameplay mechanics. Queueing for Assassin’ Creed Origins took around two hours and was playable on the Xbox One X and PC. I played Assassin’s Creed Origins on the Xbox One X. Instantly I was hit at just how crisp and gorgeous the game looked. Despite being Alpha gameplay the textures, colours and details were on point. The Egyptian setting seemed attractive and a welcome change to the past Victorian, Colonial and Renaissance eras. Assassin’s Creed Origins had some downsides. Camera angles seemed rigid and buggy but I don’t feel this is anything to be concerned about given the alpha demo gameplay. I’ve also never enjoyed the ridiculous amount of question marks on the compass and intricate menu systems. Assassin’s Creed Origin’s had way too much going on from that angle. I would have preferred a more streamlined compass system!
Today something wonderful happened in the gaming world. PlayStation announced that Secret of Mana will be re-released in 3D on the Playstation 4 and PS Vita in February 2018. Square Enix sure know how to rock the classics and the Secret of Mana 3D remake is going to be no different. Back in 2015 I wrote about Secret of Mana 3D showcasing the work of Bitplex who created Secret of Mana reimagined in 3D. The work showed stills of Secret of Mana from the SNES and created 3D renditions of those stills making the word seem even more beautiful. Now over two years later we are getting a real release of Secret of Mana 3D with a ton of new perks. How could Secret of Mana get any better? Well it can as Playstation announced three new aspects of gameplay to get excited about: Voiced characters, local multiplayer and a new soundtrack. The local multiplayer alone is enough to excite anybody's gaming palette right?
With the SNES Mini Classic getting released at the end of September it seems like a peak time for the good ol' Super Nintendo with many fans being able to enjoy 22 classic Super Nintendo games all over again including Secret of Mana. So what is it that drives the nostalgia in us? What is it that gets us revved up for classic games? It's different for everybody. This release; Secret of Mana 3D certainly brings in new features to an existing classic RPG.
Source: PlayStation.blog
There's no doubt in my mind that I will be playing Secret of Mana 3D remake and the fact that we can go portable on the PS Vita makes it even more appealing.
Blog post by Gemma @ JuicyGameReviews / TheGebs24
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds has taken the gaming world by storm since it's Early Access release in March 2017. Currently Battlegrounds is only available in the PC but during E3 2017 we learnt that Playerunknown's Battlegrounds will with launching with the upcoming Xbox One X later this year. Rumour has it that Battlegrounds will be landing on the PS4. Let's hope we can get some solid confirmation of that soon!
If you've been sleeping under a rock for the last few months then there's a chance Playerunknown's Battlegrounds wont be on your radar. Battlegrounds is a 100 person Battle Royale game mode and currently playable on one huge map. Battlegrounds can be played solo, with a partner (duos) or in squads of up to 4 players. The last man/woman standing is rewarded with a Chicken Dinner title in the caption of Winner Winner Chicken Dinner. Catchy right? Although not if you're vegetarian. Battlegrounds for many gamers has become a complete addiction. Brenden Greene, Playerunknown himself recently tweeted that his game now had the highest player count of a non-Valve game. Not too shabby for a game that is yet to launch in full release. This makes me question what greatness is yet to come from Playerunknown's Battlegrounds. Exciting times. |
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