By Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
The PS4 Slim is fast upon us. Or at least for an official announcement anyway. It is rumoured that Sony are expected to announce the newly designed Playstation 4 consoles, the PS4 Slim and the Neo at their conference in New York City early September. There have been zero confirmed leaks of the Playstation Neo but numerous pictures and videos have spread across the internet like wild fire over the last week. Behold here are 14 more fresh pictures of the so called PS4 Slim.
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By Gemma @Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
Playstation 4 VR is almost upon us. Gamers across the globe are bracing themselves for the next level of gaming. On October 13th 2016 the Virtual reality experience on the Playstation 4 will be an absolute reality. A lot of you guys have been asking me "Gemma will you be buying the PS4 VR headset?". Up until E3 my answer was simple: "no'. As soon as I heard about the Resident Evil 7 game being compatible with PS4 VR I started to re-think my initial hesitation. As each new PS4 VR game is announced it looks more and ore likely that I will be buying it. The PS4 VR game line-up is looking pretty solid right now and a few titles have already wet my gaming palette. The obvious choices are the go to Triple A titles like Fallout 4 VR and DOOM VR. What about the the other titles that will be gracing PS4 VR? Here are 5 PS4 VR games that I think look phenomenal.
#1 Resident Evil 7 Resident Evil 7 or rather Biohazard 7 in Japan is due for release on January 24th 2017. Having beat the Resident Evil 7 demo it is incredibly clear that Capcom took a completely new angle on the latest instalment of good ol' Resi. It felt less about dodging hordes of the undead and more about survival. I could not help but compare it to the vibe of the P.T demo; intense, twisted, shrouded in mystery and left me yearning for more. Games Radar reported Resident Evil 7 was in development before P.T came to fruition. Konami beat Capcom to the table in terms of delivering their demo first. How gutting must that have been for Capcom Developers? Resident Evil 7 is not one to be missed on PS4 VR.
Review by Gemma @Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
Never before has a video game seemed to bring people together this much whilst having a ton of fun at the same time! Pokémon Go Mania has arrived and with swarms of Pokémon Trainers flooding every local park imaginable it seems fair to suggest that Pokémon Go Mania isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. M questions are simple: Are you one of the people that are avoiding it? Do you think you are too old to play Pokémon Go? Think again ladies and gentleman because this game has reached the hearts and minds of all ages and from many different backgrounds. I have friends on my personal Facebook list that are well in to their fifties and are loving Pokémon Go as much as I am. But why has Pokémon Go taken the world by storm? What is it about Pokémon Go that is so damn luring?
Back in the day as a sixteen year old I totally missed out on the original Pokémon craze. I was still hiding the fact that I played video games back then as it was not cool for girls tone playing at all. Ultimately I missed the classic Pokémon start. With the recent release of Pokémon Go however, I feel like I’m getting a second chance to relive the hype and I am absolutely loving it and for someone who does not play games on mobile phones Pokémon Go has me glued to my iPhone like never before.
What do we have here?
Pokémon Go is a location based Augmented Reality game by Niantic Labs but Pokémon Go is not their first game by any means. Field Trip and Ingress are two other prominent titles that you may have heard of. It has to be said that Pokémon Go is their most influential to date and rightly so as that franchise has always been incredibly strong. We know that the overall aim to catch as many Pokémon as possible, level them up and evolve them. That’s the nuts and bolts of the game. We also know that a lot of walking is involved. In fact walking has a lot of advantages in Pokémon Go as there’s scope to hatch eggs and gain brand new Pokémon! Popular Youtube Boogie 2988 reportedly lost over 15lb already just by playing Pokémon Go. That is a real Stereotype breaker for gamers. The notion of Lazy Gamers cannot possibly apply when it comes to Pokémon Go. On launch day I ventured out on my lunch break and found myself locked in conversations with strangers all over town. On a normal day this would be unthinkable but it’s a true testament to how Pokémon Go is hunting gamers from all walks of life. It is a truly gripping experience.
By Gemma @Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
We all had our predictions of what the Bethesda E3 2016 Conference was going to bring. At E3 2015 Bethesda knocked the ball out of the park with the long awaited announcement of Fallout 4. It rapidly became one of the most anticipated Video Game releases ever! A year has now passed since that moment which brings us to E3 2016. Most of us were talking about a new Elder Scrolls Game but when I awake this morning a part of me felt disappointed that the Elder Scrolls game we’d all hoped for was not announced. Should we be disappointed in Bethesda? Hell no! Having now watched the full Bethesda showdown I am packed full of anticipation for the new games: Prey, Dishonoured 2, Skyrim Special Edition and Quake. Let us not forget the new Fallout 4 DLC and Vault-Tec Workshop functions, Fallout Shelter and Bethesda’s VR development.
Arcane Studios smashed it Prey and Dishonoured 2 are on their way! The team behind the original Dishonoured game are developing the Prey reboot on PS4, Xbox One and PC. It looks stunning. From what we saw we awake as Morgan on Monday March 15th 2032. The new Prey takes place on a Space Station that becomes overrun with an Alien infestation. Arcane confessed that our protagonist will use “wits, weapons and mind bending abilities” to counteract the alien infestation. It all sounds very intriguing and I’m excited to see how Prey’s development unfolds for the rest of the year. We can expect to see a release for Dishonoured 2 on November 11th 2016 but what can we expect to see in the gameplay? Arcane showed a lengthy gameplay trailer. There’s a large emphasis on stealth and two players to choose from. It seemed like choice is a large feature of Dishonoured 2. Out of the entire Bethesda E3 conference I was the least excited about Dishonoured 2. It didn’t look overly stunning and the gameplay seemed too familiar.
Elder Scrolls VI….Not!
I’d be lying if I said I was not disappointed with the lack of a new Elder Scrolls game. When you think about it logically though there was never going to be an announcement of Elder Scrolls VI. The time difference between each major Bethesda games is immense. There was four (five for the PS3 release) years between Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Oblivion and a five year gap between Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Skyrim. You might be saying ‘five years have passed since Skyrim was released so surely that means Elder Scrolls VI should have been announced right?’ Wrong. We are locked in to a gaming culture of HD remasters which is exactly what happened here. Instead we are getting Skyrim Special Edition on the PS4, Xbox One and PC. This caused a divide in the gaming world. I’ve been reading comments on Youtube and Twitter that indicate Skyrim Special Edition was not the HD remake fans were asking for. What do I think about it? Initially I felt deflated as I had my hopes set for Elder Scrolls VI but I’m warming to the idea of exploring Skyrim all over again so I definitely be picking up a copy on October 26th.
Doom & Quake Champions
I will never get enough of Doom updates. Where you one of the people that grew up playing the original on Shareware? I was and I loved it. Overall I’ve been incredibly impressed with the new Doom game as it dives back in to the core of brutality. So what can we expect from the ID team in the upcoming months? The first DLC pack drops very soon: Unto the Evil and includes new armour packs, guns, a new demon and three new maps! I didn’t expect an update this quickly considering Doom was released only last month. ID knows how to treat the fans well. If you are yet to play the new Doom be sure to download the first level from the campaign completely FREE on the PS4, Xbox One and PC (for a limited time). I also envy the lucky people at E3 who will have a chance to try Doom in VR! There was not a great amount of detail about the upcoming Quake Champions (PC only) but it seemed more about diverting people’s attention to Quakecon in August. I’m certain there will be a lot of die hard fans of the original PC version that will snap Quake Champions up in a heartbeat. Not me though. Fallout 4 & Fallout Shelter Fallout 4 will be seeing a whole heap of new additions. Contraptions, Workshop and Vault-Tec will add extra creative dimensions to the Wasteland experience. Nuka World peaked my interest the most with a display of elaborate buildings and new grounds to explore a little bit like Far Harbour. So what do I think to this? I’m not the kind of Fallout player that gets excited about building in Fallout 4. In fact it completely turns me off. I hate doing it in the game as it stands so I will not be purchasing the three additional build content. Nuka-World on the other hand is more the direction I want to take my Fallout 4 ventures. The core elements of Fallout, for me, are not routed in building, yet are more about roaming. Nuke-World looked like an eclectic market of craziness. I cannot wait to explore it. Fallout Shelter seemed to hold quite a bit of air time at E3 2016. Not only is it coming to PC in July but there’s a while new heap of features to get you jumping inside your Vault Suit. Now dwellers will be able to visit popular Fallout 4 locations like Red Rocket and take on new enemies. Seeing Fallout Shelter at E3 again made me realise that I need to get back on it and join over 50,000 million other players online. The Bethesda E3 2016 Conference was my most anticipated alongside Sony’s (which is yet to come). Overall I’m really happy with the pickings; in particular with Prey in 2017. Bring it on Bethesda, bring it on! By Gemma @Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
By Gemma @Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
It wasn’t until I went to Eurogamer 2014 that I started to use Gaming Headsets. I was completely naive to the importance of tuning in to real sounds when playing on my Playstation 4. I remember trying The Evil Within at EGX when I first clamped a Turtle Beach headset over my head. It seemed like every little droplet of blood could be heard as I meandered through the horror of The Evil Within’s demo. I left that expo with a Turtle Beach P12 headset. Fast forward almost two years and I can tell you that I sold that very same Turtle Beach headset a few weeks ago. Why? Not only do I own other Turtle Beach Headsets; I had discovered a new headset: The PlaySonic 3 by Prif Gear (compatible with the PS4, Xbox One, PS Vita, Nintendo DS Models, Mac and PC). I put out this video to share my delight in this newly discovered product but wanted to capitalise on my initial thoughts. The big question is: should you be investing in a PlaySonic 3 Headset?
What matters most? Comfort and Sound are the most important elements to a headset over any level of aesthetics. It sounds obvious but I’ve heard a lot of banter over headset aesthetics in the gaming community but ultimately I want the most out of my gaming experience. Crisp sound will give me that. Where does the PlaySonic 3 fit in to this? The PlaySonic 3 is a mid-range Headset priced a £49.99 so let’s make one thing clear here. We cannot compare the PlaySonic 3 to the Astro A40’s as they are a much higher spec of headset. The Turtle Beach P12 would be the perfect comparator. I first used the PlaySonic 3 whilst playing DOOM on the PS4. I fell in love. This gaming session lasted for two hours and I did not feel any level of discomfort around my jaw, eyes or head. Comparably, the Turtle Beach P12 began to hurt my entire face after longer gaming sessions. It’s hard to believe I’m saying this but I prefer the overall comfort on the PlaySonic 3 over the P12’s. Shockingly the PlaySonic 3 cannot be adjusted either! The head foam is incredibly thick yet very soft on the PlaySonic too and the ear foam seems much more breathable. Three weeks have passed since I uploaded my video about this headset and I’ve started to notice some slight discomfort on the top of my ears during long play sessions but I’ve gotten around this by adjusting the headset. In short this issue is minor and does not detract from the sharp 3D sound.
By Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
Ever since the 8-bit days of the Nintendo Entertainment System I have been hooked on the four green dudes from the sewers: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As an adult I can vouch that I am still partial to watching the classic 80s Cartoons on YouTube and I’m certainly not shy when diving in to session of TMNT IV: Turtles in Time on my SNES. I often wonder why the franchise has become so popular in the Video Game world? Perhaps it has been the steady consistency of TMNT video games over the years that have kept fans involved? Or perhaps it’s down to the evolution of the TMNT cartoons that have barely gone off the air since I was a little girl? Whatever the reason I’ve wondered if it was possible to ever fall out of love with such a prolific franchise?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutants in Manhattan had a lot of hype around it. The trailer looked stunning and the cel shaded graphics really seemed to transport the franchise back to the comic book roots from the 80s. The Foot, Bebop & Rocksteady, Shredder; everything looked great in my humble opinion. Platinum Games were given the task to bring the four green dudes alive on the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC but did they create a good enough games to satisfy the longest standing fans? I played through the campaign and was left feeling a little underwhelmed!
A really bad idea…
TMNT video games are rooted within a cooperative campaign. Not just cooperative but what us gamer might call Couch Co-op. It might seem to soon to start talking about dislikes but there is no couch co-op. Why? A lot of fans would have loved to have experienced this feature but unfortunately the rise of the online multiplayer culture triggered the demise of classic couch co-op. Call me old fashioned but this sucks! TMNT Mutants in Manhattan does hold a slightly redeeming feature. It may come as no surprise that you can flick between the four green dudes at any point throughout live gameplay. Each turtle has their own Ninjutsu abilities that can be developed by gaining experience points after each level. This slice of RPG element to Mutants in Manhattan made me smile. It worked well and I enjoyed changing my abilities around after each level. Naturally, some abilities are more useful than others. I doubt many of you will be overly thrilled with the Boost Jump! Levels, levels and more levels I’ve always preferred the TMNT side scroller action games as opposed the the 3D levels. Mutant’s in Manhattan held my attention reasonably well. Reasonably! The first level took place on the streets and on rooftops of Manhattan. The city looked bland and became repetitive very quickly. Unfortunately this was a recurring theme for all of the levels. Okay at first but frustratingly monotonous. I got the feeling that Platinum Games rushed TMNT Mutants in Manhattan to coincide with the release of the new TMNT film. That’s a classic move from the big wigs but it comes at the cost of compromising quality. There’s no denying that TMNT Mutants in Manhattan looks absolutely stunning. The cel shading is top notch in all areas. I’ve started to become less and less interested in graphics over the years as I feel story carries a lot more weight to a video game but I think the call shading is one of the stronger points.
I’ve read a lot of comments from fans that doubt that battle mechanics saying things like “they feel sloppy”. That’s a new one on me. I went in to Mutants in Manhattan with a closed view of what to expect as I’d heard some very average things about it. With that being said you’ll have an option to barrel in to the tutorial mode at the beginning of the game. I’m glad I did this as there’s more to the controls than one would expect in a TMNT game. How did this translate in to real time game action? Pretty well. Switching between turtles seem fluid and executing the Ninjutsu moves were great. Think fast paced hack & slash and you'll have a good idea of what to expect from the combat. There were a few occasions where there appeared to be too much going on at once which led to some stuttering of frames. Typically this occurred during the boss battles (which took some serious killing!). Again, it seemed a little rushed. Whilst pulling off crazy Turtle combos felt great it wasn’t as great losing some frames.
Should you buy it? This is an easy question to answer. In fact I can give you multiple:
By Gemma @Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
If I were to transport back to the mid-nineties I’d be stood in a computer shop called Gordon Harwoods. I would have been the only girl in our little group of friends. We’d stand for hours playing Doom on the PC during the school holiday’s and every now and again we’d ask the store clerks to put the cheat code in for us. What a ton of fun we had! Ever since then I have been a huge fan of the Doom franchise. Even in Doom’s worst moments (ahem the Panasonic 3DO Port) I’ve still enjoyed picking up the super shotgun and hunting imps.
Doom, developed by Id Software in 1993 had been embedded within hearts of gaming community ever since so it it didn’t surprise me that fans (including myself) felt a little apprehensive on whether Id Software would get it right. There was something about Doom; the atmosphere, the heavy music and vibe that I felt was missing from Doom 3 on the original Xbox. As the announcements poured in that Id were developing a new Doom game I started to question “will it be a disaster?”. Even the great John Romero hasn’t worked on a Doom game since Doom 64 (1997 Midway Games).
By Gemma @Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
I longed dreamed that we would be able to play a Roller Coaster simulation game that completely took me away from reality. Now that dream came true with the Alpha release of Planet Coaster on the PC. The team over at Frontier served a real treat that has kept my attention to the fullest over the last week. Designing the craziest coasters, piecing together walls to create flamboyant structures and lighting the paths with plenty of Skull candle lit lamps! All of this is just a fraction of my experience with Planet Coaster. Okay so we have the Roller Coaster Tycoon series right? Yes we do! We can build, manage, change, manipulate, colour and design a plethora of rides, attractions, shops and more, so why is Planet Coaster any different? Frontier; the team behind Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 and new Planet Coaster built it from the ground up which means more intricate details within guests, rides, design abilities and more. The Alpha version of Planet Coaster is available now and if you’ve never heard of it or you feel indifferent about getting it, then this review might help seal the deal.
Planet Coaster Alpha serves up eleven plots across the globe for us to choose on which to build our dream Theme Park. Depending on which plot you choose; you’ll notice a wide and varied range of pre-built rides, shops, paths and attractions. For me I felt this provided a great window in to the sheer potential that could be achieved in Planet Coaster. Had there have been eleven blank parks to start with; it would have seemed very dull. Planet Coaster Alpha really provides us with that bit more from the start which was surprising considering this is an Alpha build. Pre-built coasters, unique neon signs (that can be placed on any building or ride entrance), huge castles with coasters twisting out of every window and more. Let’s not forget that every single one of the parks can be changed to suit your taste. The design possibilities seemed endless. . Needless to say that I am eagerly awaiting the Alpha Two release on 24th May 2016. The developers over at Frontier have talked a lot about the park guests and how it’s our goal to entertain every single one of them. Every guest was designed to have their own personality, a certain level of cash in their pockets and it’s up to us to design the ultimate park to help future their spending habits! Frontier said:
By Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
There are definitely more seasoned players on Dark Souls 3 than myself. When I first played a Souls game I went in thinking: I’ve completed Oblivion and Fallout 3 so I’ll destroy Dark Souls. What a ridiculous theory that turned out to be. I totally respect the countless hours of playtime the full time streamers put in because that what it takes to master a Dark Souls game. What I’d give to be a full time gamer! Having put out this video explaining my initial thoughts on Dark Souls 3 it had been interesting to read your comments on how you guys had been finding the game. A lot of you indicated that Dark Souls 3 was too hard which made for an incredibly shallow gaming experience. I can completely empathise with this because it’s exactly how I felt when playing Demon’s Souls, Dark Soul, Dark Souls 2 and Bloodborne. I simply didn’t understand what it took to be good at a Soul’s game…. until now and I still have a lot to learn.
Dark Souls 3 got a worldwide release on March 24th 2016 and slots right in line with the same tones of the previous games; dark, gothic, passionate, serious and deadly. Deadly being the formative concept; a concept that trickles through the Soul’s games like blood through veins. FromSoftware made some subtle yet staggering changes to the dynamics of the gameplay mechanics compared to its predecessor, Dark Souls 2. Players’ agility seems a lot more fluid, both in combat and general motions, weapons move and respond with more validity which made my character feel incredibly powerful. I noticed this at the very start of the game. One to two (maximum) swipes with my Knight’s sword easily slayed oncoming foes which resulted in me dying a lot less in the earlier stages of the game. I started to gain some patience in Dark Souls 3. A smoother start, less deaths and more fluidity in gameplay mechanics all had me hooked. It was the total opposite in Dark Souls 2. I died more, felt less powerful and weapons seemed less effective. Needless to say that I gave up pretty quickly.
By Gemma @Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
I can safely say that I’ve been a fan of horror games since Resident Evil broke out on the Playstation 1. For me, horror games are like a escapism within escapism. Whether it’s hack and slash, survival horror or Zombie gut busting horror, I always feel compelled to pull back the layers of whatever is thrown at me. Speaking of Layers; Layers of Fear was released back in February 2016 by Blooper Team; a dev team that I’d never heard of until now. My question was: Did Blooper produce a significant enough game to win over the hearts and minds of current generation gamers?
Layers of Fear adopts a twisted style of gameplay to say the least. Our main protagonist is a nameless painter who appears to be slap bang in the middle of a psychotic breakdown amidst his efforts to produce his masterpiece. Psychotic breakdown is a easy way to describe the overall vibe and setting for our main guy but ultimately this sets the tone and story for our main campaign.
We are tasked to find six items within a Victorian Manor or rather Labyrinth. The level of distortions can be intense within the manor as we often come across doll-like apparitions, sounds of babies crying, muffled voices through walls and the odd scribbling’s a child’s handwriting all over the walls. After thirty minutes of playing this all seems like pretty boxed-standard stuff for a horror game which made me question at how shallow the depth’s or rather layer’s really were? In conclusion, incredibly shallow. I rarely felt scared, I rarely felt trapped and Layers of Fear became predictable very quickly. I never felt stuck on any puzzle the game presented me with. In star contrast; we all remember the P.T demo (*cries at the cancellation*) don’t we? Now that was intense. That was scary. I got lost in such a small space. That ‘L’ Shaped corridor had me cursing like a sailor! Layers of Fear is nowhere near the same level of horror, intrigue or disgust.
Layers of Fear is top heavy with story which seems to be drip fed to you through various clues within the mansion. Unfortunately these clues don’t come quick enough as I found myself becoming very frustrated with wanting to know what happens? Usually I adore the suspense and build up in games but Layer’s Fear gives you nothing to chew on. I literally felt like there was going to be no end to the madness within the mansion! What’s more is that I noticed a lot of repetition of inanimate objects: the same pair go glasses, the same military medal, the same door knobs lamp shades and books. Remember me saying Layer’s of Fear is incredibly shallow? Well there we go. I would have had a more immersive experience if this were not the case; it felt like a lazy attempt to dress up the experience when all it did was dress it down.
Whether you're playing Layers of Fear on the PS4, Xbox One or PC, your attention may be held for an hour at best. The monotony killed it for me. I preferred the pace and setting of Outlast. At least in Outlast I felt as though I was getting somewhere, I felt the fear of being slaughtered by some trapped, tormented soul and it lasted longer than two hours! This is probably one of the shortest reviews I've ever written but this is literally everything I have to say about the abysmal experience of Layers of Fear. Sorry guys! Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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