Top 5 Games That Most Interested Me At E3.

Devil May Cry V.

Unlike many devil may cry purists, I don’t have a pathological hatred for the reboot. I think it was obnoxious, puritanical and rudely dismissive of its roots, but at least it struck a chord, even if conceptually it was a brown note. The combat was its strongest asset, beguiling you with its turbulent hack and slash, duel wielding pistols Ebony and Ivory as well as utilising Dante’s Nephilim abilities. Switching between blade ravaging slashes, rapid scythe sweeps and flattening demons with a powerful axe really allowed for more dynamic variation that was responsive, ambulant and deeply satisfying with almost choreographed fluidity. DmC may of had a redundant abbreviation, a belittling attitude towards the series fans and tried just a little too hard to refrain from everything that had come before in a misguided attempt to stand out, but at least it wasn’t as sterile and forgettable as Devil May Cry 2. Well until now that is, with Capcom banishing any hope of a direct successor and instead doing what they should have done originally and make Devil May Cry V.

Continuity be damned! We’ve got the substitute hero from Devil May Cry 4 and shoddy Dante impersonator “Nero” returning with a new look, new accomplice and new appendage? A detachable extremity no less, one that can be used as missile to surf on?! The lack of Dante is disturbing and the general Final Fantasy 15 vibe is a little too pervasive to me, but this seems like a progressive step in the right direction.

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The Last Of Us 2.

I’ll admit that I’m still a little sceptical about this sequel. I realise it’s NaughtyDog, yes I know I loved the first, but something about this just feels…. unnecessary. Ellie and Joel’s ambiguous dialogue at the end of the last game felt conclusive if not ultimately defined. I liked that, these two brave, complicated individuals sauntering off to pastures unknown. But here we are anyway, Ellie scouring dense woodlands where the general populace continue to be infected by malaise of fungal blemishes. Hostile scavengers foraging for basic amenities, perishables and forging implements of neck piercing persuasion. With Joel curiously absent?

The trailer does make for good watching though, with the intelligent AI that seems adaptive to whatever move or tangent you go off on being particularly impressive. Seeing Ellie flourish from awkward teenager into a women of assured badassary is another engaging incentive. I’m still not 100% sold on a sequel yet, but I’m getting there.

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Resident Evil 2

A remake of my favourite game in the Biohazard series? One ticket to Raccoons City please! There had been murmurings uttered surreptitiously for some time that alluded to it. Claims that stated it was in development. But to finally have visual confirmation of its existence gives much-needed veracity to the speculation. I’ve always been curious about what this particular entry in the series would be like on current gen consoles. How modernised controls would affect the traditionally stiff mobility of Leon and Claire, whether increased movement would neutralise some of the anxiety of surviving a Police Station teething with infected?

The great thing about it is that it doesn’t just look like a straight, copy and paste remake, but rather establishing its own versatile identity from utilities and concepts from its past. The Gameplay trailer certainly suggests that the game will adhere to the classic pervading ambiance that induced this constant imbued anxiety, that was only compounded by reduced spatial visibility and limited ammo.

If Resident Evil 2 can provoke the same nostalgic terror that crippled me to periodical 10 minute intervals of play and create something that also feels original, then this could be my new favourite Resi!

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Spider-Man.

Insomniacs Spider-Man doesn’t get me excited merely because it plays and feels like everything I’ve ever wanted in a Spider-Man game, no. It gets me excited because it’s like they plucked the conceit directly from my 10-year-old mind. The way the helicopter starts whooshing towards the ground. The pilots like “Ah, save me Spider-Man!”, and he’s like, swoosh, got ya. Then he’s like “oh no, all the prisoners are escaping”. So he’s like bosh, bash, doosh, and Electro’s like “Ha ha ha, I’m going to electrocute you”. And Spider-Mans like “I don’t think so Sparky!” before chasing him down, swinging and swooping, finally catching up with him. But then Spider-Man gets cornered by LOADS of recognisable villains and Spider-Man’s like “Oh spider poop!”. I can only imagine what my 10-year-old self would have said?!

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Death Stranding.

I’m fresh out of takes. Seriously, I got nothing?

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What game are you most excited to play? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers

My Top 5 Most Anticipated Games Of 2018.

2017 has left the building. It’s gone, dismissed, ceased to exist, striding off into the sunset like a fart in a hurricane, or something like that! To some this may come as a relief. To others a new year provides the opportunity to reflect on challenges presented over the past 12 months, some resolved others a permanent fixture in your life. A new year can feel like a passive reset that encourages newly discerned ambitions and a sense of productivity. We become conscientious of our bloated bodies, swelling from excesses of sustenance abuse during the festive period, seeking immediate nutritional alterations and workout routines that will swiftly erode within a few weeks when we rediscover our love for chocolate and dough. With a new year comes new perspectives and an expectant vigour for year infused with so much potential. So, rather tenuously it seems appropriate to start 2018 with a compact appraisal of my most anticipated games of the year.

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1. Red Dead Redemption 2.

This is the only game on my list that I have already pre-ordered. John Marston’s attempts to kill his former gang members at the behest of a corrupt government official, who had taken his family hostage is some of the most compelling, as well as justifiable incentives that necessitates the killing of everyone you encounter. It’s bound be the most rooting tooting game in the West. For a fistful of dollars (£) I’ll be sure to trot home to the prairie to down a few sarsaparilla’s, toiling across the deserted plains in my painted wagon, assisting the helpless, starting fights in my local saloon, going toe to toe with some vagrant gunslinger and perhaps update my perception of what being in the old West is really about. Yee Haaaaw! There’s a snake in my boot!

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2. Ni No Kuni II: Revenant King.

Ni No Kuni was a resplendent collaboration between Level 5 and the animated God’s of Studio Ghibli. And I loved it! It’s as cute as a button, as vibrant as a pool of skittles and possessing more charm than Roger Moore’s eyebrows. Don’t be fooled however by its yielding naivety or colourful imagery, as it also delivered an imposing turn based combat system as well as a surprisingly sullen tone, about a grieving boy trying to save his mother from dying. Ni No Kuni 2 is a sequel I didn’t even know I wanted, nor one I ever felt would exist, potentially arriving just a mere 7 years after the original! But I’m pleased it does exist.

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3. Spider-Man.

“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can”. Which judging by Peter Parkers eponymous alter egos current form is making bad Spider-Man games. Since Batman’s illustrious turn in the Arkham series I’ve besieged to the arachnid God’s for Spidey to emulate the same dynamic qualities that have made that series so successful. Spider-man for the PS4 expands on the theatrical iteration helmed amiably by newcomer Tom Holland, boasting a potent combat and unrestrained verticality missing since “Spider-Man 2 The Game”. Being developed by Insomniac, the auteurs of the Ratchet & Clank series only intensifies the tingling of my spidey sense.

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4. The Last Of Us 2.

For me the fervent expectations I have for the other games listed here is somewhat more restrained in regards to The Last Of Us 2, purely because I never felt that the original would truly benefit from a sequel. The end, though not strictly conclusive felt absolute, espousing the controversial uncertainty between Joel and Ellie that has no doubt lead to many speculative dissertations into whether Ellie really did suspect Joel was lying. But then I remembered that this was NaughtyDog, a developer of the utmost distinction that has never disappointed me. So if they feel there is more story to be explored, that doesn’t merely unite beloved characters to re-tread familiar ground, you better believe I won’t be left out.

5. Pokémon for the Switch.

Now this one is a little more farcical, ambitious and frankly “Farfetched” but I’m hopeful all the same. Early indications suggest that this purported Pokémon Rpg is at the very least “a thing”, being developed by Gamefreak as a mainline Rpg that up until now had been exclusively synonymous with its portable brand. To experience a Pokémon game on the big screen is something I’ve petitioned for since Pokémon Red And Blue. So to finally get one on Nintendo’s coveted hybrid console is a 20 year dream realised. Yes I’m old enough that I shouldn’t care about Pokémon, but also immature enough to retort with raspberry blowing. So poo to you!

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Honourable mention: Uncharted 5.

Hey, a fellow can dream can’t he?

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What games are you most looking forward to this year? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

Top 5 Tips For Surviving In Dead By Daylight.

Dead By Daylight is an asymmetrical horror game that is divided into two core aspects: kill or be killed. Today I intend to focus on the latter, to which I can attest to being rather adept at. This featured mode is rather deceivingly called “Survivor” in which four players are grouped together in a grim labyrinth that they must escape from, before being murdered to death by a creatively macabre killer with an insatiable lustre for teenage meat. A more accurate title should be “Run, Repair, F**k I’m dead!” but what do I know?  Well quite a bit as it turns out. Through repeated deaths, persistent dying and the occasional blunt force trauma to my head, back and sternum I have devised a list of tips that I’d like to impart to you, the unsuspecting victims of this rage inducing nightmare! Good luck!

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1. Don’t run!

I can not emphasise this point enough. Dead By Daylight presents a very distinct challenge by grouping four singular survivors into one team, yet have them working separately for large periods of the game. You are going to feel isolated by this separation that provokes an apprehension that could impede your ability to contribute effectively. The environment, ambience and the auditory heartbeat that signals the encroaching peril of a killer will likely send you skittering off leaving a trail of ruffled shrubs, broken tree branches and soiled undergarments for the killer to track. Intimidation is a crucial technique in elevating the killers potency as an effective cranial basher. The fact is that the same environment utilised to provoke fear will be your greatest defence. The killers view is compromised by the obligatory first person view negating any peripheral vision. The survivors however are granted far more considerate purview of their surrounding enclosure with a third person perspective, allowing for a considerably malleable view of any potential dangers. Just because the killer is walking menacingly in your direction shouldn’t precipitate that he/she knows that you are concealed behind a tree or partition. Most likely the killer is just observing the progress of the generators and taking measures to prevent further progress by kicking them. Just keep a safe distance and a cool head as running around will alert the killer of your presence. Erratic behaviour such as this will leave a trail that only the killer can see, allowing them to track you down and most assuredly apprehend you. Such needless exposure comes with significant risk of being caught and the only instance that necessitates such expedient behaviour is if your perpetual hunter is actively perusing you, which will initiate a sudden dramatic interlude of intense music to indicate pursuit. The deployment of crates that prop up doorways or alcoves will slow them down but only provide brief interludes of respite, and can be destroyed by the killer. It’s also worth noting that the killers can move far quicker than you making successful escapes all the harder.

Evasion is a difficult technique to maintain, especially for any extended period of time. So staying hidden is not only advised it’s a necessity. If you avoid detection then you won’t have to worry about confrontation.

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2. Play As Clauddette.

There are many perks that can help in the consolidation of securing blood points and surviving. You can equip a maximum of 4 perks for each character, with variable strengths and combinations that alleviate the dangers of killers. Some are more effective depending on the environment or our conditioned for a specific killer. Most merely offer negligible facilitation’s like alerting you to nearby survivors or traps. Almost all of these perks are interchangeable and provide little to no assistance, apart from one: self heal. This is the single most important perk you could possibly learn. It’s a boost learned by Clauddette that allows you to recover from an injury without the assistance of your team. Usually the only way to heal is having someone else do it, which means you are wholly dependent on finding someone to do this before the killer tracks you down and uses your rib cage as a wind chime. You won’t have access to this perk immediately as you will have to acquire bloodpoints (experience points essentially) to eventually level up and acquire it, but once obtained surviving becomes exponentially easier.

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3. Keep repairing generators.

Successfully circumventing the killer across the varied themed maps is one thing, but you can’t keep it up forever. Eventually you will have to fabricate an escape from this tortuous nightmare and abscond beyond the killers sanctuary of crucifixion. The only way to do this is with the swift reparation of generators dispersed conveniently across the maps expansive perimeter. Once 5 of these power conduits have been fixed they will power 2 doors that permit exit from this realm of Hillbilly’s and Hags, which also sounds like a pub you should avoid as much as the “Slaughtered Lamb”, but I digress. You want to get these monotonous repairs down as quickly, efficiently and most importantly as quietly as possible, because if you miss time any of the series of button prompts required to successfully repair them, then the killer will be alerted to your location. The killer has a special visual sense that highlights the exact location of each of these generators which leaves survivors repairing them vulnerable. You can’t accurate assess the distance between yourself and the killer unless they have fouled one of the survivors which gives the remaining confederates the opportunity to repair gens in relative, though temporary safety.

If you don’t want to be the first person caught then wait until you’ve established where the killer is first before attempting a repair, as most of the time the killer will search across the map isolating which generators have been worked on, scouting the area for any surreptitious survivors and ignoring the idle ones. If nothing else get at least 2 generators fully functional before 3/4 survivors have been sacrificed, as this will open a trap door hidden somewhere on the map that bestows instant escape. Though you’ll have to find it before the killer does! There are crates scattered randomly throughout the map that contain additional items such as flashlights to blind the killers for short period, medical kits to heal survivors or yourself as well as tool-kits to repair generators quickly. The killer will attempt to disrupt your rhythm by impeding the generators progress with a swift kick, but be patient and methodical. As long as you aren’t detected you can still make the necessary repairs. Even so these repairs can be painfully arduous and unless everyone is committed to these obligatory repairs, surviving is going to be exhausting.

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4. Save your friends. (If you can!)

The killer will dedicate vast quantities of time searching for you. Deviating from one side of the map to the other hunting each of you down, eventually apprehending survivors and impaling them on unhygienic hooks scattered throughout. You can attempt escape from the killers murderers grasp but most of the time a hook will be conveniently accessible negating any potential evasion. So what to do? Well this is where things get a little complicated as whether you save a teammate is largely dependent on the whims of the killer, or more specifically the individual playing them. Being altruistic (selfless) is heavily rewarded, permitting more bloodpoints, which are crucial to improving your respective character than even repairing generators can be. If a survivor has been hooked on the other side of the map continue repairing generators as there will likely be players better positioned to rescue them. In fact it’s strongly advised that the remaining survivors attempt repairs on separate generators and then go in for the save, because the unfortunate survivor who has been hooked will have a couple of minutes before they succumb to ethereal force that consumes their souls. It’s imperative that you are poised and vaguely aware of the killers location before you attempt a save as waiting too long will sacrifice a player you really need. Be patient, efficient with the generators and composed because their location could be compromised by traps laden around their environment. If your close enough and assured enough that the area is clear of dangers, from either traps or the killer then by all means assist them. Just don’t put yourself in a position that compromises both of you.

The biggest issue is ultimately camping as I have yet to discover an effective way of combating this that doesn’t ultimately waste time and effort. I have been privy to many a squad that has been decimated by an obstinate camper who will simply not relinquish their position, injuring any potential saviours from a concerned team. In these situations you are left with little options other than sacrificing them. It’s a despondent means to an end that is unavoidable, with the only suitable deterrent to such persistent endeavours is to punish them by repairing generators and escaping. As I’ve said before repairing these generators requires a great deal of uninterrupted diligence to successfully fix and if a team is productive enough to repair 3 out of 5 generators while they stand around staring lovingly into their captives eyes they are only stunting their own progress. They earn less points and miss out on snaring other potential victims. Oh and if you are the one caught DON’T TRY AND ESCAPE! Your chance of successful escape is only 4%. All you are doing is hastening your own death as well as squandering your teams chances of progressing with generators or saving you. Don’t do it!

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5. Accept that you are probably going to die.

Accept this and you will enjoy your experience even more. No matter how hard you try, how often you hide or heal death is almost inevitable. Sometimes the killers are so proficient in, well killing that escape is simply not an option. Initially the frustration of being continually downed, hooked and struggling against eventual sacrificial condemnation will feel unjust, as if you are being punished. And believe me you are! Dead By Daylight requires a degree of conviction as well culpability for your actions. Your participation in this macabre world necessitates a causality that you can learn from. Wrong actions require a suitable retaliation to learn from. Because the killer is controlled by actual human beings with individual persuasions and singular methods for ensuring the swift apprehension of your sweet meat hams,  no two games ever conclude in the same fashion. One minute you feel unstoppable, surviving consecutive games and thinking “I’ve got the hang of this now” . The next your on a 5 game losing streak having been the first killed in each of them. But the challenge is part of the appeal and the thing that makes Dead By Daylight so appealing. Sometimes frustration will get the better of you. Sometimes you’ll be working on fixing the last generator only for the killer to find each of you within seconds leaving you all dead just as freedom seemed within your grasp. You’ll shout, hollow and bemoan the discriminatory fashion of your death with incredulous rage! And yet you will keep playing because you remember that game when you could’ve fled, leaving a teammate to die on a hook but didn’t. Instead you put your own safety on the line in a vain attempt to ensure that everyone gets out. Succeeding in absconding with the killer mere metres from making that final critical blow. That small heroic success, as well as the uncertainty of it is what makes playing as a survivor so compelling.

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Have you played Dead By Daylight? If so what has helped you survive? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

My Top 5 Tips For Buying The Right Game.

It’s never been easy to pick the right game. Finances, hype, word of mouth and even luck are contributing factors. Applying preferential distinctions to a game that’s most suitable to you’re current needs can be a difficult process if you’re mind or heart aren’t fully invested. Prioritising quality can simply be a matter of perception, sometimes even one of convenience and availability. For some it’s difficult to be as discerning. I’ve experienced my fair share of mistakes, I still shake my head in disappointment every time I think about the Order 1886 or Watchdog’s. The problem is that you don’t know if a game is terrible with any certainty unless you buy and play them extensively! Of course such a commitment comes with inherent risks, but sometimes the benefits outweigh those risks. So how can you negate the prospect of having to trade week old game with as much substance as a vegetarian lasagne? What constitutes as value? Experimentation? Genial familiarity? Some bargain bin obscurity?! There’s an increasing number of pros and cons and you’re very conscientious of making the wrong purchase. For as long as I’ve been responsible for my own video game purchases I have adhered to 5 principle regulations when deciding on what to buy. They aren’t perfect, in fact by my estimates these 5 rules have filtered out roughly 6% of the diuretic excretions I would have otherwise purchased. At any rate I, deliberated through my own experiences have noted these precepts for you’re benefit…..and because I couldn’t think of anything else to write about this week!

1. The Best Things In Life Are Free……

Or at least in this case cheap. For me there are very few titles worth full retail price. The quality of a product increases significantly if there is a reduction of price. A 7/10 game such as Sleeping Dogs for instance at full retail isn’t worth you’re precious pennies. When reduced to around 3/4 of that price even the most average of games feel like value for money. It also reduces the severity of buying content you don’t like.

2. Avoid Metacritic!

The scourge of critical consensus, where public opinion is scrutinised and liquidised into a fine conceited fertiliser and used to nourish the verdant fields of ignorance. Otherwise known as Metacritic, a negative resource that utilises an easily manipulated algorithm where biased views are expressed with little regard for authenticity. I’ve played some bad games in my time, some with variable redeeming features, but have yet to come across a game that deserves 1 out of 10 score! This community loves negativity, ignorance and bias. Posting 1 out of 10 scores makes them happier than a necrophiliac in a mortuary and are more than happy to express such opinions with prejudice enquiries that determine a games quality such as: what console it’s on, who the developer is or whether the protagonists hair colour has been changed, see DmC, and down-vote accordingly.

3. Don’t Always Believe What You Read……But Don’t Dismiss It Entirely?

Reviewers have a firm understanding of a games intricacies and frailties, assessing a games quality with analytical efficiency. They also possess the ability to manipulate results to suite their agendas such as generating positive feedback for Call of Duty with the aid of certain developer…..incentives. There’s often an indication of compliance when it comes to some professional assessments, so in most instances it’s better to wait for independent gamers who aren’t influenced by money but by their passion. Yet even some questionable assertions can be expedited by the general similarities in scores and criticisms. So don’t always ignore reviews that go against you’re expectations.

4. Variety Is The Spice Of Life.

Alternate you’re preferences. Don’t be afraid to try something different. You maybe surprised by how much you enjoy a game from a genre you wouldn’t otherwise play. It’s like having Fish & Chips for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If there’s no versatility to you’re diet then you won’t receive the nutrients that you’re body requires. If you play predominantly FPS, the try an RPG. Or vice versa. If there’s no variation then what’s the point?! An adaptive personality maybe more beneficial than a good eye.

5. Above All Trust You’re Instincts.

In the end there isn’t really a definitive doctoring that determines whether a game is good for you or not. Sometimes you’ve got to take a chance and no one knows you half as good as you know yourself. No one can interpret what you need more or appeal to you’re better nature with as much certainty as you. Of course fundamentally it all comes down to common sense and the ability to differentiate between need and want. Sometimes you have to be authoritative, discriminate against desires to prevent buying content purely motivated by blind optimism. Though this shouldn’t necessitate that optimism should be completely forgotten as it’s also the most earnest way of buying games.

One additional caution that you should always consider is never pre-order unless you are thoroughly convinced of a games performance. Believe me its a mistake I keep making!

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What steps do you take to ensure that you make the right purchases? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

Top 5: Gaming Moments Of The Year

1. My First Gaming Expo

Venturing to my first ever gaming expo is an experience I’ve desperately hoped to regale in for many years. You envision gaming expo’s in a kind of twisted fantasy, for example, my own delusional take on what a Gaming expo normally consists of, is somewhat tragic. Like the absurd notion that half naked temptresses would entice you to play Skyrim, whilst serenading you with beautifully melodic music, or the idea that the expo includes endless lines of titles that everyone has the opportunity to indulge in, without the need for queuing. But once you accept that this is a total fabrication, you begin to enjoy the rather hectic experience, and become consumed in the atmosphere of like-minded individuals, all sharing the same enthusiasm. I’m home!

2. Skyrim’s Blinding Beauty

Gazing into the vivid world of Skyrim is the visual equivalent of a chocolate fudge cake, smothered in deliciously decadent whipped cream, you know you should feel guilty about indulging, and that its somehow a sin to enjoy it, but you don’t. Who, at the games commensement, after escaping the recently incinerated town, where you narrowly evaded execution, didn’t stop and stare in gratifying awe at the prospect of venturing into this beautifully rendered land? I thought not. A truly stunning game, which exceeded all my expectations.

3. L.A Noir, Hit And Miss

I am yet to finish this title, despite its obviously gripping story, deeply immersive 40’s style, LA backdrop, that’s made even more intriguing by the dark and foreboding undertones that encapsulates the intrigues of this corrupted city. But the interrogation premise that was so unique at the games begining, soon became a repetitively, meandering experience. Couple that with the increasingly formulaic gameplay which roughly consisted of chasing down perps, interrogating them, driving to your next destination, before another criminal either initiates another tiresome shootout or chase. L.A Noir was one of my biggest disappointments of the year.

4. Portal 2, Making Me Feel Smart

Portal 2 has the uncanny ability to not only combine intricate puzzle solving and fun into one imaginative entity, but to also create the illusion that I’m incredibly intelligent, despite the painful fact that I’m as dumb as, well, it would be incredibly unfair to compare my IQ to anyone or anything. But the fact remains that Portal 2 has achieved something that most games this year, or any year, certainly haven’t, made solving increasingly difficult puzzle’s, aided by 2 seemingly simplistic robotic characters, FUN!

5. My Girlfriend Completing Uncharted 3

This is easily my proudest moment of the year, even more exceptional (or possibly sad) than myself exhaustingly finishing a play through of Uncharted 3, in less than a day. Let me first explain that my gorgeous girlfriend *that should win me some boyfriend points* is as familiar with gaming as I am with fashion, style and anything remotely popular, and watching my girlfriend attempting to acquaint herself with the controls is the equivalent of watching in proud astonishment, as your child you’ve tenderly nurtured takes his/her tentative first steps. The moment of realisation that overcomes you, when she escapes from the collapsing city in Uncharted 3’s conclusion proved that if she can do it, anyone can. I’m so proud! *wipes away tears of joy*

What has been your favourite gaming moment of the year?