Tag: Video game news (Page 6 of 20)

      New Metal Gear Solid 5 Footage Shows the Full Graphical Potential of Next-Gen Gaming

      July 1, 2013 /

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      Next-gen gaming is a strange animal in its early days, as often times the best the last generation has to offer comes out right before (as we are very much seeing this year) whereas developers are still trying to get their footing when it comes to developing for the new systems, and as such don’t always produce experiences that truly exhibit the power and potential of these new machines.

      There are exceptions of course (“Soulcalibur,” “Halo,” and “Mario 64” jump to mind) but more than often, the above conundrum tends to be the case.

      My impressions of the pending next-gen fell in line with that problem, as while certain games shown certainly look to be incredible on their own full merits, in terms of graphical capabilities, I didn’t see anything from E3 or elsewhere that gave us a true visual idea of what we can expect.

      However, it turns out that may have been the result of having to view blurry, second hand versions of all the footage, as Eurogamer has the 60FPS HD version of the “Metal Gear Solid 5” trailer, and it looks absolutely incredible.

      Unfortunately the video is too high quality to be uploaded properly, but by proceeding here (or here for the 720p version) you can view it in all of its glory. Just know that it takes some respectable performance power to run them uninterrupted.

      Now obviously some of the footage is from cinematics, and therefore not trustworthy when it comes to representing quality. However, the parts that are clearly gameplay show a level of detail and clarity that is simply not possible on this generation of console hardware. Looking at only the gameplay sections, you could make the reasonable argument that MGS5 is the most technically impressive game of all time.

      Also, interestingly enough, the pursuit of 60 FPS has been around since the original Playsation days, but never became the industry standard for all releases due in large part to the rise of HD gaming making it more difficult, and somewhat less necessary. The team behind “MGS5” want to make it standard for their game though, which may indicate a shift in the rest of the industry is soon to follow in terms of  AAA releases, and if so will only increase the amount of eye candy available for gamers in the years to come.

      News

      The Five Biggest Gameplay Trends Heading into the Next Generation

      June 27, 2013 /

      The winds of gaming are constantly shifting and changing, but whether it be the next generation bearing down on us, or the inevitable just happening to be occurring, it seems quite a few changes seem to happening at once when it comes to actual gameplay.

      For our purposes, let’s call them trends.

      Like any other medium, gaming is susceptible to trends now and then, but unlike, say, the world of fashion where they often pass by with such speed as to go unnoticed, trends in gaming tend to stay quite some time. If you’re looking for what to expect out of video games as we enter a new generation then, look no further than these five trends, which will soon dominate the industry.

      5. Tablet and Smartphone Interactivity

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      Maybe the Wii U isn’t so farfetched after all, as supporters for using smartphone and tablet features with their games are a growing crowd.

      This is most obvious through the Xbox One’s features, which make it clear Microsoft intends to use every entertainment avenue available to enhance the function of their system, however, this is also visible in individual titles like “Watch Dogs” and “The Division,” which are not only promising, but show some exciting and creative tablet support features as well.

      It’s a growing tech world out there, and video games seem to be recognizing that as they head into a new generation.

      4. Games Get Harder

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      This is more a notion of where we are going to be in a year from now, more than an idea with a host of tangible examples, but games are slowly getting harder.

      Call it the “Dark Souls” effect, but suddenly it seems like even the normal modes of titles are presenting more of a challenge than they did just a few years ago. Whether it be in last year’s surprise hit “XCOM,” or this year’s GOTY leader “The Last of Us,” single player games are creeping closer to the 15 hour, or more, completion mark that was rare in even more recent major releases.

      The only downside here is that this could lead to a greater emphasis in the freemium model as companies charge to help gamers get ahead. As long as some personal restraint is shown from gamer’s end though, this is a good thing.

      3. Shooters Are Here to Stay

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      The shooter genre (the majority of which are of the FPS variety) represented the dominate game type of this last generation and, if this year’s E3 is any indication, that isn’t changing anytime soon.

      This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, as many of these shooters represented the best games of the show. Titles like “Titanfall,” “Destiny,” and “Killzone: Shadow Fall” all garnered well deserved attention, and show that FPS’s are not only still kicking, but have plenty of life left in them.

      If you’re really down about this though, just know that plenty of developers on both the indie scene and elsewhere are coming up with a plethora of original ideas, seemingly to combat this movement. However, that’s just all the more evidence the shooter is still king.

      2. Color Comes Back

      In an effort to present a “maturity” of sorts, many games from the previous generation used muted tones of grey, black, and brown and little else. While it got the bleak mood across well enough, it also led to every game looking the same.

      But between “Bioshock Infinite’s” bright and creative world of Columbia, “Far Cry: Blood Dragon’s” neon tints, and several titles at E3, it looks like the sun is slowly breaking through the grey, and color is being highlighted once more in the gaming world. Even “Killzone,” the poster child of the grey palate, seems to be integrating reds, blues, and more into its next title, serving as a harbinger of sort for the movement.

      Maybe not everyone sees it the same way, but this is a promising trend that can only improve creativity.

      1. The Apocalypse

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      Every once in a while a setting dominates gaming. It was WWII, then it was Sci-Fi military worlds, and then of course the last few years have shown a horde of zombie games flood the market.

      Now though, it’s the apocalypse that’s primed to dominate the scene. “The Division,” “The Last of Us,” “Mad Max,” “Titanfall,” “Destiny,” and too many more to count all show some sort of view of the world after the one we know now has ended, and they are just the horsemen of this movement that is sure to change the landscape of gaming in a literal way.

      Like many other trends, your interpretation may vary on this movement, but it does mean that from now on it’s the end of the world as we know it.

      Reviews

      The Top Five Things I Want to See in WWE 2K14

      June 25, 2013 /

      As an old school fan of pro wrestling, I’ve always found a guilty pleasure in the WWE video games.

      Sure they’re great multiplayer titles that offer enough freedom and modes for anyone to lose hours to, but in the end they are games meant for the fans.

      To that end though, there have always been some nagging problems and missing features that have kept the games from being the ultimate fan service to the faithful of that most bizarre sports entertainment hybrid. While there are a few larger issues that could definitely be improved (*cough* for the love of God better A.I. *cough*), these are five smaller things I’d love to see in the recently announced WWE 2K14 and beyond.

      5. Create-a-Submission

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      The best thing about the WWE games is their ability to allow you to customize just about anything to an absolutely insane amount of detail. Want a 500 lb woman with a mullet to come out to “Freebird” while wearing a custom championship belt to defend at your own custom PPV? You can do that.

      However one aspect of the game, submission moves, have always gotten the shaft. Sure, it’d be great if they were more dynamic and destructive than they are now, but realistically I’d just love the option to create my own maneuvers, much like you can create finishers. It would require a little more “outside the box” programing considering you’d have to play around with ragdoll physics to make it work, but it’s the lack of those kind of dynamic options that have made these games feel stale recently.

      Submissions may not be a huge part of wrestling, but they are there and the next WWE game would do well to cater more towards fans of them.

      4. Smoother Chain Moves

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      Chain wrestling is a term used in pro-wrestling to specify wrestlers who are able to flow from one maneuver to another without really much pause between them. While popular amongst high-fliers, more and more wrestlers have incorporated this exciting style into their matches.

      The WWE games have always been lacking in this department however. It used to be excusable as the technology of the time only permitted for the “Grapple, do a move. Grapple, do a move” system, but we’re well beyond that tech now, and are still subject to the same plodding style. It would be great if there was more situation awareness to the controls, so you wouldn’t have to experience superfluous, and often janky, animations when stringing together simple moves.

      It would admittedly take a complete overhaul to fix this entirely, but it would be nice if there was more of an element of this in the next title.

      3.  Better Commentary

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      For years, wrestling games had no audio commentary, so when the feature was finally incorporated, most were so grateful they excused the repetitive and dull nature of it.

      Yet, much like animation, here we are years later and still subject to the same repetitive and dull commentary. It’s bad enough when you hear the same lines over and over, but when you play the new games annually, you rarely hear any lines not used in previous installments. There is a level of that in all sports games, but I’ve never heard one as bad as the WWE games, and it really takes you out of the environment, or forces you to turn the commentary off entirely.

      While dynamic commentary and more realistic banter would be great, really all anyone is asking here is for some fresh dialogue in each new installment, and some less mechanical “one take” readings.

      2. A More Historic Roster

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      Along with its heavy customization options, the thing fans have appreciated most about the WWE games are the comprehensive rosters, which feature not just a host of modern day superstars, but legends of the past as well.

      One thing that’s always bugged me though is that the legends rarely go beyond WWE stars of the past, and even then don’t often go past the Hulk Hogan era.

      Granted this may be a licensing issue, but considering the WWE basically owns the rights to the majority of wrestling history, its time the roster reflects lesser celebrated stars of times gone past from other organizations. Sure, not all fans may jump for joy at the chance to play as, say, Buddy Rodgers, but no one will complain about more wrestlers on the roster, and the old-school fans would love it.

      1. WAR GAMES!!!!!

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      The War Games match sees two rings joined surrounded by a large cage. Two teams of 4-5 enter one at a time at set intervals until all men are in the ring. From there, the first man to make another from the opposing team quit or submit wins it for his team.

      It’s the most unique and incredible match type ever devised for pro wrestling, and has, to my knowledge, never been in a video game. While a WCW creation, considering that WWE owns their rights now, and even have a War Games DVD on the way this year, now would be the perfect time for the most wanted of all match types to finally make its debut.

      Someone please…make this happen.

      Editorial

      In Changing Their Strategy, Microsoft has Deprived Gamers of a Villain

      June 20, 2013 /

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      After a backlash that will rank as one of the most powerful ever seen in the world of video games, Microsoft recently made the surprising decision to back down on some of their more controversial Xbox One policies.

      Specifically the Xbox One will now no longer restrict the sale and use of used games, and game buying and sharing will work largely as it has this previous generation, including maintaining the classic game use archetype of just sticking a disc in the console. They’ve also dropped the unpopular measure that would ask you to “check in” online once every 24 hours, regardless of if you’re actually playing online or not.

      Considering the set the world on fire kind of hatred these and other Xbox One policies drew, you’d think this announcement would be met with a shower of rose petals and a loud and proud declaration from the Microsoft faithful, and gamers everywhere, that the console war is on once more.

      Instead the reaction is more…interesting.

      See it turns out that very vocal gaming group who spoke so adamantly against the Xbox One’s features, are now many of the same gamers who are taking to message boards on sites around the web, and are complaining about Microsoft’s lack of conviction, or how this still changes nothing for the more expensive console. The most interesting argument though, best vocalized by Gizmodo, comes from the once silent minority that now loudly argue that some of the same policies Microsoft was villainized for, were actually potentially great ideas.

      To understand this sudden turnaround of emotion, you have to take into account the pride gamers have.

      See, people don’t brag about what brand of microwave they own, nor does the maker of your Blu-Ray player incite many flame wars. But who makes your video game console? That does matter to people. People attach themselves to a system and react personally to any successes, or failures, endured along the way. The most vocal of which are described as fanboys, but really every gamer takes some sort of stance on the console they chose.

      It’s a timeless tradition that may be occasionally entertaining, but is also very tiring. The fact is that if the average consumer could afford to buy all video game consoles, they would. That they can’t is a big reason that pride exists in the way it does.

      The Xbox One changed things though. It gave people a villain. A black hated system that the average gamer could point to and say “That’s the bad guy!” Gaming has not really had something like that on the level of the Xbox One, and there was a certain comfort people took in decreeing the PS4 the champion of the people.

      Now, it doesn’t matter that Microsoft listened to the complaints and gave people what they seemingly wanted, because all they did was test people’s pride, and force them to react in ways that don’t make them back down from the once so clear views of the console battlefield that existed not long ago. A large number of people not only invested their money in backing the PS4 early, but that pride as well.

      The thing is this though. Sometimes, determining the villain is a matter of perspective. If Microsoft had truly believed that their policies would win people over in the end, no amount of heat would have forced them to abandon their beliefs, and they would have (albeit slowly) reaped the rewards of putting out a system they could stand behind and fully support. They would have ceased to be the villain, and would have become the battle tested hero…the only thing people love more than a golden boy.

      If  that wasn’t the case though, then make no mistake that Microsoft made the smart business decision to change their policies. However, if they hoped that they would be carried on the shoulders of the populace all the way to the throne in doing so, they have underestimated the pride of gamers. What’s worse is that very pride now forces those same gamers to question if a company that can make such major changes to their system based on knee jerk impressions, has any pride of their own.

      Editorial

      “Gunpoint” Has One of the Best Stories of the Year…But Not the One You May Think

      June 18, 2013 /

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      There is a story in the new indie game “Gunpoint,” but even though it’s nicely presented, and the dialogue is pretty good, I’m not sure I could relay it to you in any interesting or captivating way. Initially I found this disheartening, but considering one of the key features of the game on Steam is “all story stuff is skippable,” I don’t think the developer intended that to be the focus.

      Instead the focus would have to be the perfectly executed gameplay that sees you play a freelance spy who takes missions to infiltrate various institutions, and often eliminate those in his path. Thanks to some handy gadgets that allow you to rework the wiring of a building though, even the most impenetrable fortress quickly becomes your personal playground should you be able to figure out the mini-puzzles of what items, should perform what functions, at what time, to put you in prime position to take out your foes and secure your objective.

      It’s such a brilliant and novel idea, that mixes well with a more visceral and violent element reminiscent of “Hotline Miami” which allows you to tackle guards out of high story breakable windows, or just beating them to a pulp, and provides one of the more complete gameplay experiences in recent memory, as it caters to every intelligent need, and primal desire, the average gamer looks for. The possibility of this type of game was suggested by titles like “Lemmings,” “Oddworld,” or even good old “Mouse Trap,” but never, ever pulled off to this degree of success.

      What I’m saying is play it. Play it now, tell your friends, and thank me later should you ever be able to pull yourself away.

      But more to the point, as gleaming as the gameplay of “Gunpoint” is, it does have a story that matters. It’s just that, in this case, it’s not the one you get in the game.

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      Instead the story that matters concerns the game’s developer Tom Francis and his shocking revelation that “Gunpoint” took only $30 to create (an amount recouped about a minute after the game went on sale) and, as pointed out by some pretty hilarious graphs, is so successful that Tom can now live his dream, and quit his day job to develop games full time.

      More than that though, he says that he can do so with virtually unlimited creative freedom, and on his own timetable. Interestingly, he also contributes most of this success to the pre-release demo of the game which some insisted would hurt him financially, but instead gave “Gunpoint” recognition in places it would have never reached before. Tom insists he will always release a free demo beforehand from now on and, in case any major developers are listening, notes that its simply just the way he wants to treat people.

      Due to the sheer quality of the final product, “Gunpoint” would have to be considered a success even if it wasn’t one of the most profitable games of all time. Because of those extra elements to this story though, “Gunpoint” is also successful on a human level as it’s a tale of of how far the right man, with the right attitude, and the right idea can go, not to mention the unlimited creative potential this still very young artform known as gaming possesses.

      It’s a shame then that amongst the twenty-four hour gaming newscycle that so often includes negative press, dry industry press releases, and the “same old, same old,” that this story of the power and potential of an individual creator may be lost, if it even gets a chance at all.

      Luckily though, even if the story is forgotten, “Gunpoint” itself is unforgettable and will always somehow stand as the manifestation of those greater ideas

      Editorial

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