E3 Theate-Demo of METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN Is Up; Looks Hot

 

The gaming community has been hungry for more and more information about Hideo Kojima's latest endevour, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain which tricked people and sparked headlines since it's "debut" at the Spike VGA's in 2012. 
Cut to years later, fans got their first taste of Metal Gear Solid with Ground Zeroes (which you can read my review of here).

Well now, after the dust of E3 has finally settled, Kojima and co present the first full gameplay demo of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain after it was shown behind close doors last week when we, instead, got  the beautifully done story-trailer set to Mike Oldfield's "Nuclear".

And here is the story-driven trailer from E3:

First Trailer for THE LAST OF US: REMASTERED for PlayStation 4

 

The first trailer for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us: Remastered dropped today, giving us a brief but beautiful glimpse of the game's improved graphic fidelity by showing one of the most genuinely moving and hard to watch scenes in the entire game.

When Naughty Dog and SCE released The Last of Us just last summer, no one could have predicted the rave it would recieve.
As it was more or less touted as the PlayStation 3's swan song, with some of the best visuals the console had seen (and even rivaling that of the PlayStation 4), many were already hoping for a re-master as the PlayStation 4 released in November.

Well, as it is, that's exactly what Naughty Dog had been planning all along, according to Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells to IGN:

“We had a lot of people on the forums saying ‘can I play this on PlayStation 4?’ We had actually been anticipating that, and started working on it pretty much as soon as we finished the PlayStation 3 [version]," he explained. "We weren’t sure if it was going to go anywhere, but when we saw the fans clamouring for it we doubled-down, and put more effort behind it.

"The graphic fidelity has been turned up to eleven. We’ve got 1080p, we’re pushing the draw distances further, we’re creating higher resolution character models, better lighting, better shadows.”

The game will include all DLC for both single and multiplayer as well as pre-order incentives:

Pre-ordering The Last of Us Remastered at a participating brick and mortar retailer, you will get 100 Supply Points for Factions mode, bonus skins for Joel and Ellie, increased crafting and healing speeds in the campaign, and increased reload speed and clip capacity for select weapons. Pre-ordering on the PlayStation Store will net players early access to the Brawler Survival Skill, additional loadout points, and some costume components, all for use in Factions Mode.

No release date has been confirmed; but I'd expect it (personally) to be around the games 1-year anniversary this summer.
For more, read my review of The Last of Us here.  

PlayStation Exclusive Content for WATCH DOGS Revealed

 

From Eurogamer comes news detailing the PlayStation exclusive content in the upcoming Ubisoft venture, Watch Dogs, complete with a trailer just for the occasion.

The cyber-action game hits stores this May after a lengthy series of delays and set-backs; but if you're a PlayStation gamer you'll be getting a few extra missions to envelope you in the virtual and expansive rendition of Chicago.

Those playing on Sony platforms will get an extra hour of gameplay, split up into four missions, which will delve further into the world of hacker organisation DeadSec.

PS3 and PS4 gamers will also get an exclusive outfit and a hacker boost, which enables an extra battery slot on your mobile - the rechargable meter which regulates your use of hacking powers.

PlayStation 4 Expecting Pre-Installment Technology for Games in April

 

Coming from developer Sucker Punch, the force behind the Sly Cooper and iNFAMOUS franchise for Sony, info got spilled on Twitter yesterday hinting at the ability to buy and pre-download games for the PlayStation 4 so that once they are released, players can jump right into the action.

IGN reports:

Though we've yet to get any official word about this from Sony, we do know a big patch is on the way next month that's set to include video editing, a HDCP off option and an upgrade in Twitch broadcasting quality.

The telling part of yesterday's update announcement was the final sentence, which promised, "there’s a lot more coming in this update as well," so it's very possible that pre-loading is going to be one of these currently unannounced features.

 

This comes at a pretty big time for Sony, with VR technology in the works as well as swelling sales numbers, the PlayStation 4 seems to be at a good place.

inFAMOUS: Second Son releases tomorrow. 

Trailer for CASTLEVANIA: Lords of Shadow 2 DLC: Revelations

If you're a fan of Mercury Steam's Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series; but felt the ending for Lords of Shadow 2 was a bit underwhelming and wished there was just *something* else, well this might be just for you.

From Gamespot, who also talked with Lords of Shadow 2 producer David Cox:

"Alucard's role is given more clarity in the DLC, and players get a much better understanding of the motivations of the characters," according to Konami's Lords of Shadow producer, David Cox.

Alucard, played by Game of Thrones and KLONDIKE actor Richard Madden, was a very crucial element in Lords of Shadow 2, which if you haven't played it is somewhat hard to discuss.

Cox went on to say that the DLC should put things in a new light for fans of the series and of the character of Alucard:

According to Cox, the DLC "gives players a new perspective on the events of the main game. It doesn't change the ending but offers further insight into what and how certain things happened in the game."

This isn't a simple re-skin either, Alucard's weapon set are two swords (similar to the dual power system in the previous games; but completely unique from Gabriel's in a combat standpoint) that have their own skill-tree, as well as new abilities such as taking the form of a spectral wolf to pass through obstacles, an ability to reach higher vantage points through a cloud of bats, and the new "timeless vision" skill which will allow the player to temporarily rewind the "time" of certain objects.

Thankfully, the enemies you fight as Alucard have been "customized to present a heftier challenge," according to Cox. Considering combat is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of the Lords of Shadow games, this sounds promising, but what of the stealth sections from Lords of Shadow 2 that hampered the overall experience? When I asked Cox if those will return in Revelations, he responded clearly: "No."

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Revelations is Mercury Steam's final mark on the Lords of Shadow fiction; with Cox saying that the future of the franchise is for "others to write the next chapter", which wasn't clear if that would be a continuation of the LoS universe or a new one altogether.

As for a next-gen port of Lords of Shadow 2:

According to Cox, there's "no chance" of that happening.

The DLC hits PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on March 25.

PlayStation 4 Review: METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES

 

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a game you can beat in 2 hours and it's $30. Let's get that out of the way right now. 

If you're a fan of Metal Gear Solid, the "tactical espionage action" game created for the PlayStation by Hideo Kojima, and I don;t mean "oh they're ok", I mean if you played the originals, the 'Solid' series, the awful Portable Ops, as well as suffered through AC!D and even trudged through Metal Gear Rising: REVENGANCE to get the "full" experience, you will NOT have minded dropping $30 for this game, and let me explain why before getting to the meat and bones of the project.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was released as a more-or-less demo of the end of Big Boss's saga, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The game allows you to get adjusted to the heavily changed gameplay landscape of Metal Gear Solid V, which takes elements from Peace Walker and Guns of the Patriots but ups the ante to about an 11.
Coupled with breath-taking visuals, Konami integrates this into the gameplay extremely well. No longer is Snake clunky and enemy patterns easy to recognize, and no longer is there the ability to pause the game for rations or weapon and item choices.
Ground Zeroes forces players to think on their feet from both a tactical and espionage stand-point, coupled with some advanced AI that changes based on guard shifts, alert statuses, and previous encounters, even on 'Normal' difficulty, Ground Zeroes ushers the acclaimed gaming franchise into difficult and uncharted waters.

 

There is also no longer an on-screen map with visual cones, instead the player "tags" enemies (similar to Far Cry 3) and must observe and get input from the CODEC which is Kazuhira Miller in Ground Zeroes; but will probably change in The Phantom Pain.

In short, if you're guaranteed to buy The Phantom Pain; Ground Zeroes is a nessecary purchase as both an introduction into the gameplay, and as a crucial plot based prologue. 

Ground Zeroes main "mission" is the rescue of Paz and Chico, two children that Big Boss befriends in Peace Walker (I won't go into detail, if you haven't played the games you wouldn't care).
The voice acting is powerful to say the least, from Kiefer Sutherland (24, Pompeii) as Snake to Tara Strong as Paz and Antony Del Rio as Chico. 

 

Despite the game's short run-time; I felt more from Ground Zeroes than I have almost all year in AAA releases. 
The ending leaves you breathless and leaves you wanting more, so for the hardcore Metal Gear Solid fans: this is a $30 must purchase. 
And for those who complain about the 2 hour campaign, after beating it, I only had 8% of the game complete.  

EA Admits Regret For Not Releasing TITANFALL on PlayStation 4

 

GamerHeadlines by way of NEOGaf suggests that EA regrets the mecha-shooter TITANFALL's X-Box One Exclusivity, from a statement by industry insider Pete Dodd:

“Titanfall is dominating the media but inFamous is dominating things where the consumer makes the choice (like YouTube, Twitter, etc) and not editors.

Sony also used its own metrics in a meeting with EA last week and showed them what they would have sold on the PS3 and PS4. The money EA took from MS doesn’t even begin to cover it. The EA guys went over the math and agreed. EA is in full “We’re so fucking sorry, Sony” mode currently.”

This comes after recent controversy on Amazon of removing low reviews from Microsoft's console-pusher, which released just last week.

While it's unlikely TITANFALL will see a PlayStation 4 release, a sequel going mutli-platform or reverse exclusive wouldn't be unheard of (See: Mass Effect, Bayonetta, Metal Gear Series).
Some have found ways around things in the past, such as Capcom releasing the  Gamecube exclusive Resident Evil 4 and Vieutiful Joe on multiple consoles.

This also comes after the statistics showing PlayStation 4 leads sales for almost all EA titles:

PlayStation 4 not only nearly outsold the Xbox One 2:1 in hardware sales, it was also strong on the software front, according to January NPD.

Electronic Arts have released games on a variety of platforms, among them, PS4 took the lead in term of units sold on the platform for games like Battlefield 4, FIFA 14 and Madden NFL 25.

As can be seen in the chart above, PS4 was the dominant platform for about 5 of the Top 10 best selling titles in January NPD. Among these,  3 of them are published by EA.

Well what do you think? Would you like to see TITANFALL continue on the PlayStation 4? Do you even care?

DOOM 4 Beta, New Trailer, and Release Date Confirmed for WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER

It has been pretty quiet at camp Wolfenstein since the summer-time brought us a few new trailers and gameplay from Bethesda's sequel-rejuvenation of the grand-father of the modern FPS, WOLFENSTEIN: The New Order and added that upon pre-ordering, players will gain access to the beta for DOOM (No 4, just DOOM, for now).

Well not only do we have an official release date of May 20th in North America (23 in Europe); but we also have a brand new trailer that sort of expands on the game's alternate future plot as well as shows off the wide-range of supporting characters.

The game looks big, gory, and seems to be a classic akin to the classic QUAKE and DOOM titles as well as the original Wolfenstein that started back in 1981.

This is the first WOLFENSTEIN title since the 2009 game of the same name which was released to mixed reviews; but it looks like the franchise is going back to it's roots in spectacular fashion.

The New Order is set in 1960 after the Nazis won World War II. Gamers play as the familiar American war hero B.J. Blazkowicz and are tasked with launching an "impossible counter-offensive" against the Nazi powers that have taken over the world.

Set in Europe, The New Order will have players infiltrating Nazi strongholds and battling legions of enemies, while taking control of "super weapons" that the Nazis have used to dominate earth--and beyond.

WOLFENSTEIN: The New Order will launch for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

PlayStation 4 Review: THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME

Warner Brothers hit it out of the park with last week's The Lego Movie, an incredibly beautiful and witty adventure into what made our childhoods so great with some stellar voice acting, animation, and wit.
To coincide with the films release, Traveler's Tales and WB teamed up yet again to present The Lego Movie: The Video Game; a great construction that does, however, suffer from the feeling that the pieces all fit; but from a gameplay perspective feel slightly worn.

Traveler's Tales is second to none in presenting fantastic and fun games for the whole family with their Lego series which, as of now, includes 23 titles released and in development; but despite the studio's usual formula at play here, The Lego Movie: The Video Game suffers from a small feeling of being slightly rushed to meet the fim's release date.

 

If you've played one LEGO game, you have essentially played them all; but with such rich properties to explore and new challenges and characters to face, going from one franchise to another has always been fun and fresh, especially with a friend to join you in the game franchises' sleek and fun drop in/drop out co-op gameplay, which is still the case with this film tie-in as it has been every game Traveler's Tales has put out.

The gameplay is exciting and even adds new features to the tired and true Lego game standard; such as Emmet, the main character, not being able to build anything until a good way through the game and need instructions to do so (just like in the film).
This gets especially hectic when your team-mate has to build things while you have to find a creative way to distract the enemies or fight them off as your friend, a "Master Builder", must construct different things to progress through the levels.
An interesting new addition is Emmet's "construction" mode which plays out like a small mini-game after you collection instructions to build a device or items in the levels, as well as a sequence where you play as the steampunk Pirate-mecha Metal Beard 

 

The game takes a unique note from the film itself, the character animations are all accurate to how LEGO minifigures move, unlike Traveler's Tales previous games where the LEGO figures essentially moved outside their limited posability in real life, and this little change makes a huge difference in getting the feeling that your actually a LEGO figure inside a LEGO universe, as the levels are all designed made from "individual" LEGO pieces, for instance the ground are made of studs, and you can see the brick outlines on buildings and structures, which is a very cool trick and handy to the game's immersion.

The voice cast from the film all reprise their roles, which is incredibly unique and works very well, especially since we get new sound clips that are as equally charming and well done as those in the film itself, like really the interactions during the levels are genuinely hilarious to hear, it feels like you're actually "playing" the film.

 

The only noticable fault in the game is that the gameplay, while fun and engaging, does somewhat feel re-used; but not necessarily in a way that's groan-inducing.
The same mechanics as all other LEGO games apply here; but I get the feeling that if Traveler's Tales had just a few more months to sharpen the game, things might have been a tad different.
Traditional cutscenes are also gone, replaced by clips from the film, which while still as charming and funny to watch as ever (I've seen the movie 3 times now and it still hasn't gotten even slightly old) don't offer the same tight narrative structure, so I'd reccomend seeing the film before you play the game (also to avoid spoilers).

The Lego Movie Videogame is a tight and fun companion to the groundbreaking and spectacular film that sadly doesn't come into it's own from a gameplay perspective; which shouldn't both long-time LEGO game enthusiasts; but might prove tired for gamers looking for a truly unique LEGO experience.
For a film and a property that endorses creativity and freedom of expression, the game feels, in some aspects, like it's never really allowed to come into it's own. 

It's worth a buy, and there's as always tons of extras to keep players going back through the immensely detailed and wonderful levels digging for pants, instructions, and studs to buy new characters (of which there are alot) and discover fun little easter eggs. 

Naughty Dog Teases UNCHARTED; The Last of Us 2 for PlayStation 4

After a "Thank You" Event for fans of Naughty Dog's colorful resume where the community voted on the Top 10 Questions asked by fans all around the world on Facebook, the developer of such break-out hits for Sony Computer Entertainment like Uncharted, The Last of Us, Jak & Daxter, and Crash Bandicoot answered the fans questions and even dropped some hints for the future of 2013's critically acclaimed PlayStation 3 exclusive, The Last of Us as well as UNCHARTED which was announced on the PlayStation 4's launch-day, November 15.

After the success of TLoU, has there been any talk of making a sequel as we move into the next console generation? What factors would contribute to whether that happens or not?

“The success of The Last of Us was definitely welcome and we’re very grateful for it. However, as far as future projects go, everything is still TBD. The Last of Us team is hard at work on The Last of Us: Left Behind, which is our first ever single player DLC, right now. As for what happens after the next TLOU DLC drops, we recently teased UNCHARTED for the PS4 and have multiplayer TLOU DLC coming. We’re working on revamping our Naughty Dog engine to be running smoothly on the PS4. Future projects will take shape once that’s ready to go.”

And on the subject of UNCHARTED, the follow-up to 2011's Drakes Deception: 

Can you give us any indication of when we will be getting some more details on the upcoming Uncharted game you guys are working on for the PS4? Or are there any little morsels of information you could give us here? Please don’t just say ‘Soon(tm)’!

“It’s got a guy with a really cool voice in it. He’s in the teaser. A lot of people missed it but that’s Todd Stashwick ( http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0823693/ ). Go follow him (https://twitter.com/ToddStashwick ). Also, read the map. “

The Sixth Axis has a really well-though analysis of the map we see in the trailer, possibly alluding to a prequel set a long, long, time ago.

Also for fans of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog might have dropped a hint to some potential future story-DLC, or maybe even a prequel game:

What is Joel and Tommy’s background story like before the outbreak and during the 20 years leading up to the events in The Last Of Us? Why didn’t you put more dialogue about it in the game?

“There’s not more dialogue about it in the game because it’s something we haven’t fully fleshed out yet. You can gather bits and pieces of their personal history, such as what Joel does for a living, by listening to the dialogue closely. Maybe someday we’ll fill in those back stories a little bit more.”

You can read my review of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, here.