Edge Case Games Secures 1.3 Million USD Funding led by Mercia Technologies

July 28, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

Many of you might be familiar with the company Edge Case Games who is known for their games Fractured Space and Strike Suit Zero, which have been rather successful with fans and media sources alike. As a developer and self-publisher of the combat game Fractured Space, we’ve learned that Edge Case Games has received a total funding of $1.3 million (£850,000); led by the UK-based Mercia Technologies, an investor who is known as for helping out with UK technology. For those unfamiliar with Mercia, they helped the developers of the popular title Soccer Manager grow its user base to over 10 million.

With this investment, we’ve learned that it will help Edge Case Games accelerate their development as well as help them push their technological based boundaries for this team-based space combat title. This will also help them explore on how to expand the game’s worldwide audience by adapting the game for the growing Asian market that plays it.

“Mercia’s investment will boost the development resources available to realize our shared vision for what Fractured Space can become at launch and beyond”, said James Brooksby, CEO and Co-Founder of Edge Case Games. “We are especially pleased to continue our work with Mercia’s Head of Digital Mike Hayes, whose experience as former CEO of SEGA has made him a highly valuable asset to the team.”

“Edge Case is an exciting young company that has the opportunity to create a large and successful worldwide brand, and we’re eager to aid its growth into what could be a leading player in the online PC gaming industry”, said Mercia’s Head of Digital Mike Hayes.

Having achieved critical and commercial success from their initial launch of Fractured Space on Steam’s “Early Access” platform in November 2014, Edge Case Games is now planning to release a full, free-to-play version of Fractured Space late 2015. The Early Access launch of Fractured Space generated 400,000 users in its first five months, with PC Games commenting that: “the final product may well be one of the best space combat games ever made”.

Edge Case Games is based in Guildford, a developer hotspot that is also home to industry players including Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. The studio was formed by industry veterans James Brooksby and Chris Mehers, whose previous title, the action space title Strike Suit Zero, launched in January 2013 to attract an audience of over 1.4 million players on PC and console. We just hope this means we can see a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release in the upcoming years.

About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

The Elder Scrolls Online Future is Outlined at QuakeCon 2015

July 25, 2015July 25, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

Welcome to the world of Tamriel, Bethesda Zenimax’s ever-growing world with unique storylines that has begun to capture hearts of fans. As it grows, Matt Firor steps on stage, welcoming players, fans, and viewers from around the world letting us know what’s going on with the game. With telling us about the launch of the game, added things such as the Justice system (something he personally loves), he also went over how the combat system has changed, but also the Champion system as players work their way up into the game it is now. He stated since the games reboot, it became more successful than it was before since the console launch absolutely was larger than expected.

Before he discusses the DLC pack: Imperial City, he stated we will be seeing new content every twelve weeks, which will help the game grow free of charge for ESO Plus members, or we can separately purchase them on an individual basis. As he covers that, we get to see some of the first concept work of the Imperial City where we will see Overland city streets PvE and PVP, but also 2 PvE 4-player dungeons, Giant PvP Public Dungeon, tons of new gear, and rewards. After having discussed the fact the game is based upon the IP itself, we know how we saw the game the first time around, but we are seeing what the Imperial City looks like 700 years before, a place that isn’t just the same city you knew. You will get to see the different districts, which will have their own quests, but we are not going to see just the Imperial City you remember. Much like Stalingrad, the zone will have guards fighting monsters as fans enter it in order to keep Molag Bal’s armies at bay, which will push fans into a deep and complex story they will enjoy within the game. As they preview the finished concept art, fans will get to see the town as it was before Molag Bal had been stopped. Thanks to street fighting, fans get to see the city in a very damaged state, one that leaves fans fighting against each other, but also the armies.

With Cyrodil under-siege, the concept art we get to see is a very grim, but dark place, one where the Arboretum District has been damaged, one that shows Daedric warriors burning the books within the tower, we actually get to see the new White-Gold Tower in the game, one that has been damaged as the planemeld begins to occur. With this DLC being based upon a Daedric Invasion, fans get to see an artist concept of the Winged Twilight Monster, one that reminds me of a twist between a bat, a demon, and overall; a badass monster that makes me shiver at the sight of it. We also get to see world bosses wandering the streets, and he just happens to be one. As art begins to roll through, we get to see the new alliance armors, which gives us a few of what they look like. The Aldamari Dominion armor looks great, but while the Daggerfall armor looks amazing, the Ebonheart sets themselves apart from the rest with how it looks; I’m sure this is something that will not disappoint fans of the series.

With this battle taking place, the story is becoming a part of it. With Rich Lambert coming on stage, we get to learn that ESO is getting a bit of a change. Rich is the Creative Director of ESO. We learn that they come into a list of set criteria and design goals when working on the game, which allows the team to work on the same goal within the long run, something rather important when they are working on the game in order to keep themselves in check when providing us the experience they do. With PVP being expanded, we learn that they are working on focusing on close quarters combat, which will be rather frenetic and based upon the streets within the Imperial City, but also twist together with the story in itself, which will be one of the staple points of them to wrap up some of the Molag Bal information regarding this chapter of his story arch. With Imperial City preparing to launch, we learn that PvE and PvP will be intertwined, something that players will become familiar with as they begin to battle against each other in order to progress through the story driven content. They worked hard in order to balance this to keep the game from being too unbalanced from where it should be. We also get a glimpse of the Xivkyn: Molag Bal’s elite force that will be appearing for the first time in the game, but we also get to see a new alternate currency that will be implemented with the DLC itself. We also get a note that shows new gear, pets, and costumes for those of you who enjoy these little quirks.

But we wonder.. How will this work? This is quickly covered as we learn that the dungeons follow normal dungeon rules that makes them PvE only for those who either buy it in the crown store or head off to the ESO plus option. We also learn that Imperial City is tied into the Cyrodil home base, and there you will get a quest to head into the Cyrodil sewers, which is a massive 3 level public dungeon with pvp, but we also learn that there is six overland city districts, each of them containing their own city while learning what Molag Bal is actually up to with his invasion of the city, something we learn is Molag Bal’s last ditch effort at Planemedling the city into his realm; something you are tasked to work on stopping with. AS he ends his notes, we get to see a clip that displays what Cyrodil’s city looks like. This includes the city sewers, streets, and the sewer entrance where NPC’s are wandering around. AS we get a glimpse of the sewers, we get to see small plane portals in the way as Molag Bal’s forces work on opening their portal. Many of you will notice a few of the locations within it, clear down the statue of a former ruler. As the sewers are displayed to us, we see just what Molag Bal is up to. This includes glimpses of the districts where enemies are running around, the Arboretum district that is under sieges, books being burnt, and the Daedra cheering at what is happening only to shift to the Temple District, which has been over run, and no longer is the city we remember. The Nobles District, which shows guards fighting off the Daedric forces while city dwellers screen. The video shifts to the Elven Gardens where slaves work away at cutting down trees, but only to shift to a video where trebuchets are bombarding the city, then the scene shifts to the Arena District where Daedra are cheering on the doings of their own people as civilians are working away.

After this trailer ends, we get to shift focus to the PvE instances, which goes to the Imperial City Prison, which will feature a 4-player dungeon, regular and veteran modes. We learn that we get to meet an old accomplice from the Coldharbour missions, which lets us meet Lyranth; the Daedra that helped us before. She wants revenge for the wrongdoings that have been done to both her, and her clan. After he gives us this information, he shifts us once more to a video, which displays the visuals we will see. This includes a Daedra holding a skull, chains tearing through walls where the Planemeld has begun, but also Soul Shriven creatures feasting upon corpses. We also witness skeleton’s hanging, Daedra begin to act like Coldharbour is beginning to meld in, which gives it the feel that Molag Bal has truly begun his final approach of taking over. We also learn about the White-Gold Tower Instance, one that he personally takes a lot of pride in, which makes this tougher for them to do since the expectations are high due to Oblivion. Much like before, this is a dungeon that follows the same set of rules as previous ones. Just like the others, there are daily Undaunted missions. This one follows the story where the Moth Priests began to hide the Elder Scrolls from Molag Bal, and players will be helping hunt one of them down in order to stop Molag Bal’s forces. As players hunt it down? A little bit of unexpected occurrences happen. As he introduces it to us, the focus takes shift once more to the screen where we see Soul Shriven feasting, players obtaining the Elder Scroll, and causing an unexpected event to occur. The music has definitely set the mood of the instance as we focus in on the various creatures roaming the hall, but also the fact that the White-Gold Tower has been ripped apart into a sense of damaged space and time, but perhaps the fact it’s shifting planes. On that note, he announces that PC users can access the PTR in order to take the new expansion for a spin. He highly encourages you to jump on it, play it, and give them the feedback that they need to know; this includes impressions on armour, weapons, and the sets. This also includes the enemies we will be taking on in the very near future.

As he leaves the stage we get to see Brian Wheeler who is the Lead PvP Designer, which sends a quick thank you to everyone back at the studio for working on the Imperial City content back in Baltimore. With Cyrodil being expanded, we get to see that this is being expected, and it is truly being built, and has been with PVP at its core mind. Not for you? Be careful, there will be places where PvP will be a siege war, instead this is a street brawl where players can hunt each other down, take out their enemies, and even lurk among the sewers which are being made as a PvP flagged zone. Accessing the Imperial City will be opened for all alliances to enter the city itself. Don’t fear folks, we all know that you will be fighting for it hard, but luckily? You won’t have to swim across the lake in order to enter the sewers. There is also a place where you can access the Tel Var Stones, which are the new currency within the game itself. These drop from any PvE encounters such as killing monsters, looting, killing an enemy player, which can be retrieved off their bodies. Let the hunting season begin, remember, the hunter is now the hunted. What else is new? We get to see the Arena District “Sweeper” boss, which is big, ugly, and it looks quite powerful where fans will be teaming up to take it out, but there are also Xivkyn battles that will ensue within the tunnels. Don’t forget, these things will be within the sewers also. Treasure Scamps have also been added within the title itself, and will be a place for gamers to hunt down some of the loot, that can be obtained through one of the various chests within the game. This new PvP system is created for both small and large groups as a street brawl. The Tel Var Stone system will be an intricate addition to the game. Will you be hunting down the NPCs? We will.

The new video shows on some 4v4 action, the bosses in the sewers where players are attacking the creature and itself, but also a boss battle that ensues completely as fans try to survive. As Brian steps on stage, we get to see Eric Wrobel, lead design step on stage as he talks and discusses the Imperial City’s gear and rewards. Here, fans will be able to gain high level Veteran gear stuff, which varies between level 15, level 16, but 14 being the starting items. Here we also learn the new unique sets such as crafting, PvE, and even PvP. Instead of making items being crafted being more powerful, we learn that items that are dropped via PvP and PvE will be more powerful by default. We also learn that there are twelve new sets in total, 2 monster masks, 6 Tel Var Stone sets, 3 crafted sets, and 11 revamped PvP reward sets. Bags for set items have been reduced so that fans do not have to continually dig through dozens in order to get their items they needed. With these type of sets, fans will gain seven armor pieces total in order to complete the set. This is normal for fans who play a fair-share of MMO’s. Something that is truly enjoyable to hear about when it comes to ESO. We also learn about the new Jewelry Mini-set, where characters will get upgraded stat bonuses versus constant procs. There’s also new Undaunted Masks, which players can equip to enjoy. All of the Monster Masks can be obtained through the new dungeons within the game. The Lord Warden one has been exposed which allows for players to put down an aura of Magic Protection when damaged.

Crafting sets have obtained VR 15 and 16 so that they can craft new high level gear. This also means crafting has been tuned so that new ores have been added to the game. Fans can use the Tel Var Stones will help fans obtain these items when needed for them to use. We also learn about the new Treasure Scamps that will be hidden within the map itself, where these new sets can be obtained. A nod to Diablo 3 I’m sure, which is quite an awesome nod towards one of our favorite games in the free time. We learn about the new Soul-shriven Skin that will be added to the game so that fans will look like a Soul-shriven itself. The Portal Stone has been added to the game so that it can be used anywhere in the city where your home base or safe area is within the Imperial City itself. A new enchantment type has also been added called the Prismatic Enchantments. As things wrap up, we learn that the game has been significantly expanded compared to before where players will find items earning a sense of equality within the long run between both PvE and PvP.

As Eric steps off stage, Matt takes the stage once more to re-iterate several of the points of the game have been made for those fans to enjoy. The expansion launches on PC on August 31st and on consoles September 6th, 2015. As he states that he brings up the idea of beyond, we learn that the third quarter one has been announced, we also learn that the Orcish home locale has been added as the next expansion known as Orsinium. We expect to hear more about the upcoming more expansion as we get to see the bloodied hand print of the Dark Brotherhood will be entering into the game next year for those of you wanting to know the long wrong. Thieves Guild has also been announced into the game. We learn that the game will also be getting Quality of Life Updates within the long run, which includes a Looking For Group update so that fans can get to try out, which includes PvE with other alliance members, which begins with the Dungeon Finder itself that only includes ⅓ of the player base itself in the current state. For folks who want subtitles? This will be getting added in with a future update using native subtitles. For those on PC controller support has also been announced as part of the future planning for the game, which makes the controller UI fully possible instantly for fans. This means it will be in beta for fans, which means this will switch between controller or mouse as well as keyboard instantly upon the one used.

Removing Veteran Ranks has been discussed as something that will be removed later in the game, this means abilities, combat, and even weapons. Want a Champion System as the main-go-to? This will be happening as a replacement system, and of course there is much, much, much more coming in the future thanks to player Feedback on the forums. So jump in, speak up, and help evolve this beloved title.

DOOM at QuakeCon’s Panel Brings in Some Pro Tips

July 25, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

As the DOOM panel begins we get to see Executive Producer Marty Stratton take stage where he sports his DOOM short in order to tell us more regarding the game. AS part of this panel begins he brings out Art Director, Hugo Martin, two gentlemen I’ve both had luck to meet. As the panel begins they bring out Robert Duffy, one of the well known men behind the current generation of DOOM titles. As a final guest they bring out Brad Rabblet of id Software. As the show gets underway we are greeted with a small interview regarding the game.

As many of you know DOOM was released as a reveal at QuakeCon 2014, but this year, is the first time that the multiplayer has been released to the public, and to the team? It’s a feeling that is awesome, a feel that is amazing. As a thank you from the DOOM team, Marty Stratton discusses their experiences making the game, but also the fact a ton of people are enjoying making the game and being apart of the legacy that was crafted 20 years ago. As the legacy grows, we get thank yous, and an acknowledgement for our feedback. Something that the crowd here overly enjoys. As Hugo discusses the feel, we are finding out about his having been pleased with how much we’ve gotten to enjoy the game, and with Duffy, we learn that our feedback, enjoyment, and excitement of the game is something that he enjoys and finds himself pleased with the reaction from fans here at QuakeCon, but also fans of the game online. As Brad Bramlett begins to discuss, he also displays his happiness with the excitement, feedback, and the sheer geniuine enjoyment us journalists and gamers get to enjoy. As the panel begins with host Gary Steiner, we see them discuss what fans wanted feedback on.

As the camera shifts to Brad we learn that they are pleased to hear fans enjoy that the sheer enjoyment and feedback from the fans have been undoubtedly enjoyable. Especially after he had been down at the DOOM booth this entire weekend. Speaking up, Marty discusses how excited the team is to hear the enjoyment as fans are helping with the enjoyment of the game. Especially how they’ve been helping fans enjoy the game as fans play, even giving pro tips regarding use of the weapons such as the Gauss Rifle, the Rocket Launcher, and even the other variety of guns that are in the playable pre-alpha that has been promoted here this weekend. As his discussion ends, Duffy begins to talk about how the fans have been reacting, especially as the player skill level increases we also learn that QuakeCon has helped bolster the game. As Bethesda has helped with the Shout Casters, Marty thanks them for their help, but also how they have done the game. As the camera changes, Brad begins to talk about how this game has been highly influenced with how the online goes, and with the help of others, we learn that QuakeCon has truly helped with Hugo, and the others have helped with the game.

While the conversation, we hear that Hugo discusses how they enjoy how the matches have been well balanced out, and how well the skill level changes to a higher bit as fans begin to enjoy the game. He also talks that the first match from the championship was ended at 61-60 as a final match. One kid having gone 37/8 k/d from Hugo Martin.

As the multiplayer ends, we get to once more watch the E3 trailer where we see the marine putting on his helmet, rolling a body off the floor. Below you can take a gander at the trailer that was revealed. It makes us once more remember just why we need next March to roll out on computers. As the game begins to grow more violent and shows the true DOOM look as the trailer unwinds. To be honest? Nothing can beat the justification of seeing this trailer once more as the Cyber Demon takes look and the BFG is once more fired off. As the trailer comes to an end, the crowd has once more gone wild as we see the team react to the fans enjoying the game.

With DOOM having helped lay the foundation for the shooter genre, we see Marty Stratton react to the preservation of the legcy. As a bit part of it, he states that the development of it, and being a part of the legacy is honoring. One of the things he is proud of, is how the game has worked out, from the start. Especially having started out at the highest level as they work to capture the highest levels of it. As they capture the essence of DOOM, they knew they wanted to have multiplayer, which goes without saying that the DOOM games need the multiplayer and snap map as part of its legacy, which is something the fans deserve and need out of a DOOM game. They truly aren’t really leaving anything out of the game. We learn that Duffy has been with the studio for 17 years and his feelings towards DOOM. He wanted to help bring the game that lived up to the legacy that lived up to the original DOOM games that the fans deserve, need, and he looks at it in a truly terrifying process, one that requires fans to go head on at full speed ahead, something games like Call of Duty aren’t doing. This means that the game is being focused in on at 60hz, which is by now; default. With the Snap Map this requires a consistence experience to the players as they play go. With Brad and Hugo being with the studio between 3-10 years, we learn that Hugo wants to help preserve the original, to provide something that keeps with the direction of the titles that we know. With the current game, they are attempting to preserve originality, but add onto what the cinematic experience can be like when working on this new one. This means pushing the personality to the overall game aesthetics compared to before. With Brad having been a part of it, he reminds us of the fans who used to sneak off in order to play the game, but with multiplayer, he discusses the key pillars of what the game needed, one being fast, movement as defense, big guns, and the expectation needs to be when it comes to the DOOM title, and multiplayer one more provides that.

With DOOM having been in development for a while, we learn that Marty discusses that the game began to feel right during the Spring of 2013 when they had done some work with the animation team in order to work with badass guns, demons, and fast movement; all being core of the game. The animation team had put an animatic together on how the animation kills work, and what they will be like, which truly is amazing at this point. This feature has made the cut into the multiplayer so-far, which is amazing in the long run. With programmers and animators working together, they began to work on it and focus on it in order to help provide a true DOOM experience. Even mentioning how the guns in RAGE were phenomenal. With this being fun and addictive, they began to build in a movement map in order to test these few components such as the glory kills, double jumpment, and even the grappling to climb. He said even in this, he has still played this for the past two years, and continues to do so as these parts of the game have made it into the final product. For Hugo it has much been the same as they discuss and polish the project in order to work as hard as they do, including adding new animations, new feels to sound, guns, or even hit reactions in order to keep the legacy alive. He even states that some things can feel worse or better for the game, but it is definitely feeling like DOOM once more.

Duffy has discussed he was much like Marty when it truly felt like DOOM, which was used based upon the player speed of Rage as they began to blast through the DOOMs test levels. He states that Hugo’s work helping bring the world to traditional DOOM touches, he states that how the game began to fall together all at once while Brad discusses that he was a bit later to the game. That he was also one that came aboard with the animatics as well as the prototyping, he also helped feel that the pinata drops helped make the game feel proper while working on it. That the combat pushed forward, he became a believer of the project the way it is. Marty states that the best part of developments is when the new building barriers towards DOOM builds, the game began to feel just like it should while working on how the development cycle works with a developmental rush. He brings up how DOOM at QuakeCon last year the positive response really helped them focus on their efforts as fans screamed and cheered at the game, which is what helped with the games production. This includes the chainsaw which received a good fan reception as the game is in development.

With managing all the developmental cycles, Marty states that the whole preservation of the projects is amazing, and has been exciting at this point. This includes things falling off, getting attention, or cut due to expenses as they establish a core identity that helped with the games current cycle. They also had forged some partnerships with over teams such as CircuitFinity to help with the multiplayer in order to help with the multiplayer, they also worked with a local Dallas developer called Escalation that has been helping with the Snap Map in order to contribute to it in development, but also ideas to improve upon it. It’s these things he said though, that can help weigh down development, but they have truly helped bring forth the overall experience. This means helping bring forth such a title as he mentions it to the Twitch stream. He discusses this is truly important when working on development.

As Marty’s discussion comes to an end, we get to see the lights dim and once more see the video of the gameplay happen. As the screen dims we get to see the player enter the scene of Hell, first lighting up Demon’s with his shotgun before switching to the chainsaw in order to light up an imp while a demon lights him up. This includes taking on a Mancubus, Hellknight and a Revenant with a chainsaw while nearly dead. As he switches weapons we quickly see invisible Pinky’s appear and a Revenant take off and die from a shot from the super shotgun. This truly shows us once more what DOOM truly is and helps demonstrates that push forward in combat that allows it to once more feel like a sense of constant motion and skill like the classics did.

Marty begins to discuss the use of skill, he states that DOOM’s movement is important, and if movement isn’t there? Death is sure to happen, which means DOOM is all about consistent movement and will require players to focus on it, and this places it as a core pillar of the game and stems out constantly, which means stopping is not an option when grabbing main resources of the game such as ammo, health pickups or even smashing a demon’s head open. The conversation switches to Hugo whom discusses movement is about swimming through the space such as glory kills, fighting demons, and even getting into position in order to skip around the map in order to avoid demons. This means that maps aren’t going to be set into place in order to stay alive and strategies, instead it’s abut moving on the go. As the conversation changes, we learn from Hugo that combat is not about picking targets, instead it’s about constantly fighting multiple demon’s at once in a “drive by” fashion to ensure damage having been properly done to the demon’s to preserve liveliness. He discusses how he does it by hiding in a cave or somewhere possible for just a moment to begin regeneration before finding the little guy and picking him off. In turn, Duffy begins to discuss how DOOM sets itself apart from the others apart, which means speed, a lack of crouching, which means you are a slower and more stationary target, which is not recommended. He discusses that this is a removed function that is not important in the game as players will flow through combat such as “swimming through the space”. He even states that he could see how the general crowd plays the games where they would back up, crouch, and other players would lay into them. He states that in DOOM when you feel like you must fall back, that you must push forward in order to keep into combat.

Marty states that the entire experience is great as it is felt like it has style, and provides an experience fans want. Brad states that he gets to experience a lot less in single player than the others while he works ont he multiplayer. The game, according to Marty, is challenging, one that will push fans to learn how to play this style of game. This includes listening to Hugo talk about the gameplay, and even how much Hugo plays the game, which is thousands of hours already. Marty also states he is truly glad we have been able to play the multiplayer, while Hugo also states that the more you play, the more aggressive you need to play while they show off one of their favorite moments, which is a Mancubus getting glory killed with its own heart being shoved down its throat before it detonates in half. Ever had too much queso? That’s how this demon feels as we celebrate QuakeCon around 2am. We actually learned that one of the team members got to make all sorts of sounds including burps into the game for monster creatures. Ths includes a can of coke and money well spent.

We learn that the idea for finishing moves came from an animatic that the animation team, as stated before, Marty states they are constantly asked about it, and the DOOM they know about. He states that when they do something and change directions, it’s easy to say they scraped some stuff, but that’s not the state now, but they are using a collection from the past as well so that some stuff could be tweaked and fine tuned into the current state of the game. This includes working with the tech and even reapplying it into the current stage of the game, which means a peg in a square hole for example, which means once it’s tuned fine? It’ll be just how it needs to be. We also learn that speed was a key component that was a seamless movement in the glory kill, which is stated between when the glory kill is timed from execution to death, to when players once more obtain control of the character in order to keep constantly in motion.

With the game being contextual sensitive, players will do certain ones when aimed at certain parts, according to Hugo Martin, which we ourselves have experienced in the multiplayer component. We also learn that some of these will never get old as players will feel skillful when executing these movements at the end of the day, which always feels good. Hugo states that DOOM needs to feel like a state of the art and brutal killing machine. Marty also states that the game is all about micro-decisions, and also quick reactions in order to take out enemies from any direction as needed in order to take on enemies from afar or around the corner, which causes the game to be a microsecond based decision making. Hugo Martin also states that the game is entire about pushing forward in constant combat for fans to ensure that they are always in combat. He also states that when in a hectic battlefield, glory kills feel awesome.

We learn the teams favorite weapons such as Marty states that is truly hard since single player is really hard due to the amount of weapons that are possible to use, which makes the weapon wheel one of his favorites due to versatility of swapping between the weapons. He also states that his favorite is the heavy machine gun, and haven’t even discussed the weapon mods just yet, which is a huge and intricate part of the single player, which are all upgradable. He states that his favorite is the machine guns micro missile mod is one of his favorites. We states he ALWAYS has a super shotgun. We learn that Brads favorite is the micro-missile as well, but super shotgun is his thanks to the gib factor. We learn that Duffy’s favorite is the static cannon that is there as his. Duffy states the super shotgun is his favorite even as mods change the game completely over time, while Hugo’s is also the static since it’s a movement based gun for PvP, while switching to the Repeater. He also states that he loves the Super Shotgun for single player since he loves the triple shot factor the gun has.

Discussing the multiplayer, we learn that DOOM’s core of multiplayer is core across the entire game, which is the fast movement, but also the weapons. They all are taking part as an overall core element of the game, but also the fan reactions regarding the fan reactions of the game. With multiplayer elements being at the focus, we also learn that Hugo believes he is the best at multiplayer, which is quite funny. Overall, we learn that there are four guys that stand above everyone, and at 5pm? We get to see a dev battle between the team. Once again Marty lets us know that the Alpha and the Beta for those at home will be available for those who pre-ordered Wolfenstein quite a while ago will get a group for an Alpha randomly drawn soon such as email notifications, and even console notifications based upon what you’ve been selected on. Exactly when is this coming? Soon, very soon from what we’ve seen, but with id Software? We learn that these tests won’t be extremely close to the games launch.

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Fallout Anthology on PC Announced for September 29th

July 24, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

During the opening day of QuakeCon’s 20th Anniversary, we learned that Bethesda Zenimax has prepared an amazing collection for you fans who have yet to get your hands on the games. As of now, you can head out, and pre-order this limited edition bundle, which features every Fallout to date with five critically-acclaimed games, but also their add-on’s in this premium collectible set with a space reserved for one special game; Fallout 4. This collection is packaged together with a mini-nuke storage case with an audible bomb sound that it makes.

This Fallout Collection includes the following:

Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition

The Pitt
Operation: Anchorage
Broken Steel
Point Lookout
Mothership Zeta

Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition

Dead Money
Honest Hearts
Old World Blues
Lonesome Road
Gun Runners’ Arsenal
Courier’s Stash

Fallout Tactics
Fallout 2
Fallout

How much will you pay for all these titles? An amazing 49.99 USD, but remember that these games are a limited edition and will only be available while supplies last. Keep up-to-date with the latest information for the series at bethsoft.com.

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Fallout 4 and Fallout Shelter Invade QuakeCon!

July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

It’s a warm day here in Dallas, Texas, but for Boston? It’s even hotter. Today we are here to witness multiple things. We’ve gone hands-on with DOOM’s multiplayer Pre-Alpha, we’ve played Bombshell, and we’ve managed to go hands-on with Killing Floor 2 among many other games. We’ve gotten our hands on Vault Boy masks, awesome collectibles, and even memorabilia that will be decorating our office(s). Yesterday we got our hands on some of the biggest information possible aside from the fact DOOM will be heading into Beta early next year, and some of you will be getting a hold of it even sooner than before.

Today we are sitting in front of the Fallout 4 press panel where we will get more inside information that will be exclusive to attendees here at QuakeCon’s 20th anniversary. With the lights dim, the QuakeCon logo on the screens, and the well known QuakeCon stage lit up giving us the feel of a strogg base, we are ready to see what is going on, and before long? We will just get that when members of Bethesda Zenimax will step on stage and let us see what is coming up with this falls upcoming release. Enter the Fallout Universe where Boston is our next place to be. A place where we will get to see what has happened once the bombs fell when the war started. With Fallout 4 landing on November 10th, 2015, fans can expect to see some huge changes coming this fall, with the game including console modding and even showing how mods will work.

Starting off the QuakeCon exclusive Fallout 4 presentation, Pete Hines, Global VP of Marketing for Bethesda has stepped onto stage to inform us about what we needed to know. As part of the presentation, we were asked to lockdown our camera’s, our phones, and any recording devices we may have. That means those creepy as Hell Google Glasses are right there with it. Once Pete finishes going over the highlights of what’s going on – executive producer, Todd Howard for Bethesda Studios, Todd Howard has stepped on stage to present us with Fallout 4. 20 years ago, he helped develop Terminator: Future Shock, and informed us about his feeling he would crash the party on us. As his first return since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, we learned that a lady went into labor during the presentation. Was it named Dragonborn? We don’t know, but it’s good enough for us. Our attendance? Out did that of E3, which allows us to see a bunch of new stuff, but also a behind-the-scenes look at Fallout 4. Looking at the history of Fallout, we learn that the launch of the nuclear bombs had launched, and on screen? We saw the Fallout universe has changed rather heavily as we learn the game starts out in the past. A place where Mr. Handy’s were helping mow lawns, take care of houses, and the fact we will be visiting Boston in the 1950’s when the war starts out. That means we even get to see a “House of Tomorrow”. We got to see that the robots were built from the inside-out, but this means we also get to hear Stephen Russel return as Mr. Handy robots once more. Looking at a video clip, we get to see Codsworth in action, where he is helping take care of the house, and even help raise your baby. We even get to hear names such as Mr. McFly and Mr. Fart Face as your babies name from Codsworth. This even shows us a picture that has been a rather large image of the infamous Vault-Tec vaults. In Fallout 4 we’ve also learned that the Vault Suits have changed, and in truth? We get to see a picture River, Lee Joel Bridges dog, which is the model for Dog Meat, so they decided to use River as the character for several years so that they could make an authetnic character for in-game uses with some behind the scenes work. This includes River running through the fields, playing, and how she transitioned from that to in the game. This means her chasing a frisbee in real life to going in game where she is tearing apart an enemy. Even fetching a stick only to bring it back where she brings back a wrench to your character in-game. This includes her fetching toys from under a table, and chasing her owner down. This means Dogmeat has become a very real creature, and a digital portiature of the character itself. We even get to meet a new character named Preston who leads the Common-wealth Minute Men.

As with characters in the game, it has become even busier for them as they work on Preston, which lets us meet the new Minute Men. We learn about Ghouls in Lexington have devestated the game. This means we saw footage from the mo-cap that is three years old before it was transformed to the in-game engine. This means even assisting the Minute Men against the raiders that invade Boston. We learn that the game isn’t just developed upon pre-rendered characters, but instead recordings from actors that they can use to create the residents of things such as Fenway Park’s ruins, where we get to meet the new Diamond City. Diamond City allows us to meet one of the new companions by the name of Piper who is screaming at the Diamond City door to enter. This includes that we get to see the multi-choice options that the game has. AS you join the Commonwealth, we get to see the character in action, but we even see a character that uses Codsworth’s voice; The Mayor of Diamond City. We also learnt hat you get to help write articles in the game by doing missions, this includes a display of four of the games companions including the return of Codsworth, Dogmeat, Preston, and Piper. The fans? They definitely want Dogmeat as they shout out from the crowd. Want to play a lonewanderer? You can do that for sure.

As we go through the presentation, we learn that Fallout Shelter is heading to Android devices starting August 13th, 2015. This means those of you who did not get an opportunity to play this game on iOS, you can play this. This includes new features where you will get to use new attacks, new enemies, and even fight off the Deathclaws as they rampage through your barracks, ravage your towns, and even make you fight to save your vaults. This includes Mr. Handy can join your vault where he will go through your vault, pick up resources, and even protect your people as the base is invaded; he also can go out into the wasteland and help fend off enemies while scavening. iOS users will get the update of the content that appears on the newly launched Android version. Todd Howard also informs us that the game will get expanded even more through the app. This new app will help function as Pip-Boys, which unfortunately, we learned that the Pip-Boy edition has been given away at QuakeCon for three lucky winners. We also get to see a video clip regarding the president of Vault-Tec as Jony Ive discusses what the Pip-Boy will function. This means we will get to see the new Pip-Boy, this means the display has been increased, with more stats, a radio dial, and even learn that he had to go way beyond what they were doing to improve upon it from previous titles.

We get to see how the Pip-Boy influences this game, that means special character systems, stats, and what they will do for you as part of the game. This means we actually get to see the S.P.E.C.I.A.L.S. and how they will follow each other in bonuses gained. This includes Strength that it will help you find your resources and allow for you to once more carry even more equipment you want and need. With strength? This also means defending yourself using your fist, the ripper, bat, nail board, paddle ball (not really), and even the in-game power fist. Some moments, of course, will require more than muscle. Strength even allows for players to use special utilities, craft special items, and even how it works for you in-game. This means S.P.E.C.I.A.L.’s have become even more important in-game. These videos? Will be released as Bethesda works to launching the upcoming title. We also learned that, as you leve, you get to gain special perks, this means going through each tree, picking the perk, and leveling up. This emans your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. perk will allow you to pick a perk that belongs to that skill tree. Each of these perks do have individiually perks will join up. With 70 base perks, that means 275 points in-total in order to max all of them out, let alone can you move your points out later on it seems. With Todd getting ready to show us some extended gameplay, the crowd has begun to cheer on. With littlebits having been shown before such as E3, we get to see the town of Lexington, which has been invaded by Ghoul’s, but now a group of raiders has even invaded one of the factories in the town. Combat scenario’s we learn will be the same as the previous titles; free form, which means you can play the game however you want, and continue doing so in years to come. As the video begins, we see that the player has gained XP for discovering LExington. In turn, he has ripped out an assault rifle with Dogeat ahead who has begin to hunch over, growl, and pick up an enemies scent. In turn? We get to see Feral Ghoul’s dropping from the windows. With their fast movement, we see the ghouls charge the player and the enemy take on +4 rads, and in turn, combat is furious, enemies losing limbs, charging on, and even eating a few rounds from the laser rifle. With the engine having been fully maxed out, we once more get to see that combat has evolved in order to become even more ferocious. Want to visit a Super Duper Mart? Not a problem; it’s there. We also get to see Dogmeat head over, loot an enemy while the player searches through all the resources in the computer. This means we also get to see the quick options of once more having. We also witness Dogmeat being sent out to lock down the building while a robot protector patrols the store.

With lock-picking one more returning, we witness that XP has also returned, supplies have been put on the counter, and a Scattered Laser Musket is in the game. With the critical system being in-place, the gun is nastier than ever with its crank-up wheel. We also get to see the Flamer in action while the player is being assaulted by the Ghouls. As they return to the common wealth we get to see a body stuck in a basketball goal net. We also get to hear raiders in the distance as the player rips out a sniper and begins popping heads like watermelons in-order to enter the Corvega Assembly Plant. A group of raiders can be heard while the player sneaks around the corner only to go into the critical system in order to shoot one of the raiders heads in half as well as part of the torso while they grab the combat shotgun in order to go close range. This means even blowing off the enemies arm with it. The game has turned super gory, which to some, could be an issue, but to us? It’s gorgeous. As explores the factory, we learn that gas barrels can be targeted as an explosive ordinance, we also learn that Dogmeat absolutely hates Raiders as he helps dispatch them one by one. Stimpacks are also displayed to do their ould job, but only before the raiders decide to invade the Raider factory. This includes us watching both enemies taking on each other, and you taking out the winner who is heavily damaged from the combat scenario. Want a mini-gun? That’s not a problem as the player goes Terminator on them before finding a comic book to level a state. After that mini-gun is put up? We get to see the player rip out their bladed bat, critical hit the enemy in the leg, and quickly whack his arm off with the said weapon only to make them look like a dull and powerless troublemaker. The after scene of this? We see a vehicle above, and in return we also get to see a raider scavenger attack the player with a rocket, quickly damaging the area around them while he pulls out an energy weapon only to start hosing the player down while heavy armored friendlies join the scene with laser weapons. We also get to see the Brotherhood helicopter taken out, killed, and the player very heavily damaged by the rocket. In return? We get to see a rocket launcher armed, shot, and the player damage this enemy very heavily. Want a mini-nuke? The Fat Man is back, and it is more beautiful than ever as the player equips it, launches it, and even Mini-Nukes the nearby Raiders while a Behemoth charges in, eats the Fat Man Nuke like its a pebble before being hit with a critical shot from it. As the gameplay ends there is only one impression that can be felt by any of us. Vault 111 is very welcoming to those of us who have filled the auditorium. Welcome to Fallout 4, a game that changes the overall appeal of the game, but also shows that the game has expanded, which has made it just as big as it was before. Just mark those calender’s for this November 11th, and prepare to enter Boston for one Hell of a party.

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Review: Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 – Where The Oda Chronicle Begins

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Review by Dustin Murphy

Pros:
+Player created character is the centerpoint of the campaign’s story
+Graphics have been noticeably upgraded to the SW4 graphics standard
+Campaign provides a rough 15-20 hours of fun before it begins to grow dull
+Swapping between officers is fun, enjoyable, and refreshing after hours of comba

Cons:
–3DS version suffers minor frame rate hiccups and pop-in’s on older 3DS handhelds
–To the unfamiliar, missions may take a few attempts to complete to adjust to the missions

Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 is the first of the Warriors spin-off series I’ve been able to try. Thanks to our contacts over at Koei Tecmo’s PR team, we’ve been able to get access to a copy for review. With the PlayStation Vita version in hand, we decided to also pick up the Nintendo 3DS version, which lead us to quickly diving into combat with fully customized character’s and finding ourselves teaming up with Oda Nobunaga, famed Warlord of Japan and the games central focus. But if you aren’t a fan of the series? There’s no doubt the series will be hard to follow for those unfamiliar with the franchise since Samurai Warriors 4 came out not to long ago.

Since many of us have become familiar with Omega Force and their Warriors franchise, it’s hard not to tell you that these games come out constantly, and it’s at times – arduous to follow. As a spin-off title, Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 has launched on both the PlayStation Vita and the Nintendo 3DS in order to join beside Oda Nobunaga and his family; the one that can be said to have caused the unification of Japan in the 16th century. Getting to that beginning of unification, however, will put the the warring clans against one another, and ultimately throw your customized character into the middle of this large scale set of trials, tribulations, but also friendships that take place as your warrior builds relationships, friendships, and displays their true loyalty to the Oda clan.

When playing through the 15-20 hours of content in the game on the first run-through, players will take on a set of scenarios that explain how the future of Japan was sculpted, but also what brought the clans to begin unification. Much like other Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires, players will take on several set of occurrences within the games story mode. This includes events as well as battles, the events are much like the Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires when training your villages and the ruling state, but in this version you build relationships with other members of the Oda clan between battles, which helps provide quite a bit of dialogue and backstory for players. As known outside of the dialogue events, combat is just what it says; you go to war and take over battlefields in order to weaken your enemies moral and ultimately take on multiple objectives including going to certain places on the map, take out certain captains, or even take over an area on that map. For fans that have played previous Warriors title, you know that your character that you created did not matter, your character was a mere shadow in the eyes of the original Samurai Warriors cast members, but in this version, characters are fleshed out quite well, which makes it almost seem absurd it hasn’t happened before now. In this one, however, that is not the case of being overshadowed, the character is very well fleshed out, which gives a distinct sense of nurturing to the character, and even offers up players to choose their character’s dialogue that takes place between them and other members of the clan. While yammering away in conversation can be fun, the game shines a bright light upon the game itself when even dealing with some of the more minor characters such as Oda Nobunaga’s wife Lady Nōhime or even other minor captains within the Oda ranks. However, this detail doesn’t take away from a glaringly large problem within the Nintendo 3DS version of the game for those who do not have a New Nintendo 3DS; frame rate issues.

Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS/PlayStation Vita (Reviewed)
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Developer: Omega Force
Cost: 29.99 USD
Release Date: Now Available

When finding myself traversing through the large scale fields on the PlayStation Vita, I found myself easily transition between captains thanks to the Vita’s touch bad, but also even finding myself with consistent frame rates that are inherently missing from the Nintendo 3DS version when it wasn’t running on a New Nintendo 3DS, which was quite absurd since the handhelds are both rather powerful, but this seemed like a poor design issue or possibly just the game itself having found a few issues outside of what the Vita is capable of pulling off. Regardless, the game seemed to run quite a bit better on a New Nintendo 3DS and even kept framerates in or around what the PlayStation Vita was capable of. Though frame rate to some can be a big ordeal, there was another issue that seemed to cross over in both versions; blurred character faces that seemed to leave no true detail to what minor or even some major characters looked like compared to that of what we would see with Dynasty Warriors 8 XL for Vita or even Dynasty Warriors Next on Vita; Samurai Warriors 4 even had better face animations and appearances when moving across the battlefield or when just merely looking around while on the battlefield between objectives.

Setting all that aside from the overall appeal, Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 builds itself upon forging relationships with every officer in Oda’s army, but also focuses upon the 20ish total battles that take place during the course of the game. This includes buying armor, leveling up weapons, boosting relationships via discussions, going through tea in the town menu, but also looks at helping players collect your in-game money in order to raise these friendship bars, but this also allows for players to build a form of completion to the story. While you are burning a hole in your character’s money pouch, players can also spend the same coin they would be spending on tea at the market where they can buy new armor for their appearances, but also work on leveling up their weapons. This also means that players will want to spend sometime with working on the games challenge mode in order to gain rare weapons, items, and more experience in order to level up, which makes this Warriors title rather large as well as time consuming for those who love taking on tedious tasks to get a larger experience overall.

Much like any Warriors title, Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 makes itself unique with the type of content it has made available for fans to enjoy, but also attempts to show this off while fans work their hardest in order to enjoy the games campaign as well as the missions that are hidden within the game through the earlier mentioned friendship system. Even looking past the Nintendo 3DS versions troubled frame rate, the game is equally as enjoyable as it is on the PlayStation Vita. Overall the game is an enjoyable experience that Omega Force should be proud of themselves for taking on so that fans could see a new twist to the Warriors universe through this new title. This is one that any fan of the franchise series should be prepared to enjoy whether or not they can look past a few of the games small hindrances that have weaseled their way into the game for Nintendo 3DS gamers.

Final Score: 6 out of 10

Ethics Note: This version of the game is based upon a pre-release retail version of the game that was provided to us by the publisher for review. Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 is now available digitally on both Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita for 29.99 USD. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

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Ten PC Games That Need to come to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

July 19, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

There’s no secret that PC gamers have some of the most unique games out there. Their games range from large named Kickstarter projects to games that have managed to go under the radar and never even be seen from there. In this case? I’ve compiled a list of several games that would be instant smash hits on the consoles due to their story, background with PC gamers, and even the overall appeal to them. Some of these games have been out for a while now while others are just now starting to pick up a steam. So lets get started with our top ten titles we’d like to see.

#10: Rust – Face Punch Studio

Many know Rust for its brutal online gameplay where players fight to survive against other players. You must scavenge food from animals, players, and even hunt down resources while trying to build alliances and stay alive. Get a big enough alliance and a town may just be possible if players stick together. The true danger is? No one knows who can be trusted once their back is turned and bridges are burnt. This would fit perfectly on the PlayStation platform thanks to how isolated games can feel at times due to party chats.

#9: Niko: Through the Dream – Studio Paint

Niko: Through the Dream is a beautiful game that is recognized as a minimalist adventure that tells the tale of Niko as she attempts to return to her world. As you take on her adventure, players will travel through multiple islands where happiness, solitude, or fear are melted away with the games hidden riddles, traps, and dangers that will confront both the player and Niko’s abilities that require determination, ability, and even logic. With Niko’s adventure being told through colours, shapes, sounds, and small hidden items, the game is beautiful, sad, and even whimsical as her narrative is explored with each new adventure that comes forth on each island.

#8: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Collection – GSC Game World

Like in real history, 1986 was the host to one of the nuclear worst disasters to have ever occurred; Chernobyl. Amidst the nuclear meltdown the Soviet Union established a 30km Exclusion Zone around the nuclear wasteland to keep people out, but in 2006 the zone is rocked by yet another explosion that has brought all life in the ‘Exclusion Zone’ to an end and has pushed the boundary further out. From where the explosion had occurred something has come from the shadows: mutated creatures from the radiation, but also an anomalous energy source. Now cordoned off by the military, anyone that attempts to get close is shot on sight and the secret from this zone has become buried deep within the Zone. In 2012 a man has adventured into the heart of the Zone due to reports of strange ‘artifacts’ that have been imbued with this new energy source. In turn the military, mercenaries, and even bounty hunters have begun to compete against each other in order to obtain the artifacts and control the power they have, but while doing so? S.T.A.L.K.E.R.S. as they are called – will have to not fight against just each other, but against the creatures within as they seek to escape Chernobyl. This franchise would fit in quite well with the previous titles that had been released on the PlayStation 4 in the past year.

#7: Killing Floor – Tripwire Interactive

Killing Floor is just what it sounds like, a game that takes place in London, England after Horzine Biotech, a who has decided to work on mass cloning and genetic mutation has something go completely wrong in their labs. This incident leads to the human subjects turning into grotesque mutations that have also encountered a twisted set of disfigurements as the experiments continue on. After a few hours of the creatures becoming hostile, they begin to overrun the internal security forces and break out to the surface world. This is where our game begins as groups of four players seek to exterminate the mutations and even find their attempts fruitless as players attempt to survive each round, take out hordes of enemies and make their way to safety in order to possibly save the city from the brink of destruction.

#6: Warhammer 40,000: Regicide – Hammerfall Publishing

Lets just pretend one moment that you have no clue what Warhammer 40k is about, well that doesn’t necessarily matter in this new imagining of it. Thanks to the team at Hammerfall Publishing fans get to see Chess turn into a classic game of Warhammer in a very beautifully animated game that takes Space Marines and the likes only to throw them on a chessboard and allow newcomers to take on this classic game in a whole new look.

#5: The Forest (Confirmed – Date: TBA) –

With the game being on early access via Steam Early Access, The Forest is a gorgeous game that is sitting in pre-alpha version and has been constantly updated sense with a new graphics engine, mechanics, and even having allowed fans to enjoy a game that emphasizes on survival as players take on the task of surviving an island that has been inhabited by cannibals. With the game not focusing on any form of set story or guidelines, it’s time for fans to brave the wilds of this island, gather resources, build a safe place, and explore the island around them including the wreckage of the plane they were once on.

#4: Rise of the Triad – Apogee Software and Interceptor Entertainment

Back in the 90’s it wasn’t uncommon to see games like this one where the objective is to kill as many enemies as possible without dying, but to also make it through various puzzles, landscapes, and the likes. During this era you wanted bigger guns, tons of enemies, and high paced action, and this variant of a classic throwback by both Apogee Software and Interceptor Entertainment is well worth it and one that definitely deserves a console launch for those who have yet to have a chance to play it.

#3: Wrack – Final Boss Entertainment

Just like before, Wrack is a highly entertaining and fun game that allows for a entertaining experience while utilizing a pistol, sword, shotgun, and even much bigger title as weapons are sought out in order to take out the enemies that Kain must encounter as players take on their quest. With cyborgs, aliens, and even mysterious enemies coming forth, players will take on puzzles, bosses, and well crafted encounters while attempting to pursue an amazing story. This is definitely a bullet hell title we’d love to see make its way to the consoles since its launch on PC by our acquaintances over at Final Boss Entertainment.

#2: Team Fortress 2 – Valve Software

You already know about the quirky game that has gotten more attention than Half-Life could ever get and has become easily one of the most played games next to CS:GO. Welcome to Team Fortress 2, the most ludicrous game I’ve ever played in my life. While the game was enjoyed for the most part on Xbox 360 and eventually PlayStation 3, Team Fortress 2 has remained at its heart a hysterical first person experience that relies heavily upon its mods, community, but also the fact its always evolving, which would fit in perfectly with how the PlayStation 4 handles the newer games that are releasing on it as free-to-plays.

#1: This War of Mine – 11bit Studios

War… War is something that can never be called beautiful even if it’s about liberation, freedom, revolution, or any of the above all at once. Unlike most war games, This War of Mine is a unique title that blends storytelling, consequence, and survival into an all-in-one title that will push fans to attempt keeping a group of survivors alive while food, medicine, and resources dwindle down over time and outside threats become a reality. With everything becoming harder and harder to find, your choices are serious, thoughtful, and can be just as punishing as ever if the right choices aren’t made before hand in this side-scrolling psychological title.

Closing Thoughts

While this is only a laundry list of the many great games that have managed to make their way onto the Steam store, we also know that many of these games have tons of potential thanks to the current gen consoles, but also the capabilities of the X86 architecture that both Sony and Microsoft proceeded to go with. If you are like myself, many of these games have been enjoyable on PC if you’ve had the chance to enjoy them through your own PC or even a friends PC. Regardless, the games are greatly imaginative and will push the mind of any gamer into the Twilight Zone whether they want to go there are not. What are some PC games you think would be good to make the jump? Let us know!

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B.A.T.G.R.’s Weekly Wrap-Up: The Iwata Edition

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

Man, has it been a roller-coaster of a week for those of us in the gaming industry, community, and more. As you’ve seen all week, many people have been mourning the loss of the biggest name in gaming; Satoru Iwata. We’ve seen fabulous tributes to him in regards to artwork, YouTube videos, tweets, emails, songs, and many, many other ways. While our hearts still hurt there has been lots of news going around, but this week? Lets reflect on the news coming around. So lets break down what’s going on here at B.A.T.G.R. outside of Mr. Iwata-san activity.

Right now I know a few of our sponsors have sent us review games, with me being the primary reviewer for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 I’ve gotten several things under my belt. Currently to give you an idea of what’s going on. So here’s the agenda we have and luckily? I can provide you dates.

Upcoming Articles, Reviews, News, or Events:

Saturday, July 18th: Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 Review Editing and Publishing

Tuesday, July 21st: Preparing for QuakeCon 2015 – the 20th Year Celebration in Dallas, TX

Wednesday, July 22nd: Heading to QuakeCon 2015? If not expect an Ar nosurge Plus for PS Vita Review

Thursday, July 23rd through Sunday, July 26th: QuakeCon 2015 Attendance and press work

Monday July 27th: Articles, News, and tons of stuff from QuakeCon

I know our schedule seems a bit bleak compared to normal. While we have several reviews I’ve been working my rear off to, I’ve known that this would be a busy time of year, and busy as it has been. Since we don’t have quite the dates yet, I also decided to let you know about a few things we have going on thanks to our friends at Koei Tecmo. Currently we are working on the following undated reviews due to travel plans:

Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess (Review)

HTC One M9 Review (Used as a gaming device)

Mario Kart 8

Super Smash Bros. 3D w/ amiibo Functionality Review

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited Console Edition (Hands-on-Impressions/Review(?))

Don’t forget that if you are attending QuakeCon 2015 there’s a host of things going on that can be seen in our latest article covering the QuakeCon panels, activities, and exhibitors. Wanting something to do outside of that? You can also help out at the charities that will be there helping raise money for a great cause with the help of QuakeCon 2015 attendee’s. You will definitely see us at the Red Cross Blood Drive and other Charity events that will be going on there. Or you can chill and just give the AT&T Network that will be helping make QuakeCon its power, a try! Don’t forget, however, you may want to register if you plan on attending.

While I may not be pumping out reviews like there used to be, we’re still working hard, working on building our team, and even working on growing as a team. We are always looking for feedback, input, and potential writers to help us keep growing. Wanting us to review a specific game? Let us know by visiting the Contact Us form here on our website!

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Devon Day: Reflecting on the Passing of Satoru Iwata

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Devon Day

Greetings fellow readers! Devon here, bringing you my tribute of an innovator, a legend, and a great man; Mr. Satoru Iwata. That out of the way, let’s get started.

When I first heard of Iwata-Sensei, I really did not thinkof much of him at the time. Sure, I did hear of him regarding a certain game that would help me later on, but at the time, said name really meant little to me. After obtaining my PlayStation 3, I caught wind of his name once again. Naturally, as an adolescent, I had wondered who was this man and why was he continually mentioned. Soon after, one of my friends showed me one of Nintendo’s newest products: The Nintendo Dual Screen Handheld (DS as you may know it). At first, it looked quite odd. “Two screens on a handheld?”, I thought to myself. “Would it work?” Then, my friend showed me a game I had missed on the Nintendo 64: Super Mario DS. Playing near identical as the original, I knew I wasn’t missing out on said title this time. That being said, my journey towards knowing Iwata-Sensei began.

After saving up tons of money and obtaining good grades, the DS Lite would be mine on a cool crisp December 25 of 2007. At first, I was ecstatic. Having the successor to the DS was already a treat; getting the elusive Super Mario 64 in a remaster doubly so. Many long days were stretched as I figured out each level, stage, and challenge. However, as I was playing said game on an awesome system, one thing struck out to me. “If a person with a collective group of people made a great system, wouldn’t it be best to know more about him?” At that point, during the early days of January, I had toughed it out against chilly and snowy conditions to research who Iwata-Sensei was. His back story was quite interesting for me. Having owned the remastered variant of a game he helped developed was already a surprise for me. However, such research would help pave the way for much of my gaming hobby later on down the road; discovering games like Ballon Boy, the Kirby Series, and a game of a series I received in late January known as Pokémon. As time continued, not only would learning more about Iwata-Sensei help me learn more about games, this also gave me more appreciation for the developers and publishers of the games that I was playing; prompting me to research those as well. After getting a Wii later on in 2009, I had, for the first time, knew I was having some real fun with games like Super Mario Galaxy (even though my Call of Duty fix wasn’t satisfied at the time). All in all, the more I learned about Iwata and Nintendo, the more I appreciated others work.

Years would go by before I considered getting either a 3DS or Wii U. I didn’t have enough money like I did back in 2007-2010 to get myself many Nintendo products. However, while I coupe not get them, I did encounter a person who would later befriend me who did have both the Wii U and 3DS. While I only have played Pokemon X sparingly on the 3DS, my first game on the Wii U was the same series I had received on the GameCube: Super Smash Bros. Naturally, being a rebel, my main character was Sonic (Gotta go fast!!). Having read about their rivalry, I still found it odd to see the blue blur again; even though I first saw him in Brawl. Either way, I do remember having a good time playing the game. Most importantly, Iwata-Sensei had helped delivered another grand slam console in my book. However, one game that I had always wanted to play always eluded me… until that day. Shortly after smashing things up, I had asked my friend if he had a game called “EarthBound.” To my astonishment, he indeed did. After some minor technical issues, I had finally got to play the game I had wanted to enjoy for over a decade, and I have to say, it was a decade worth waiting for. Everything caught my attention, even down to the wonderful cartoon esque pixel art. Knowing beforehand Iwata-Sensei had helped develop the game, my respect and admiration for him grew exponentially; an experience I will never forget.

This now concludes my tribute to Iwata-Sensei. Hearing the news this morning made me sick to my stomach; so much so I requested to postpone my interview for my new job. Multiple tissues lay beside my bed and many memories etched into my brain. That being said, he brought the power to Nintendo: Nintendo Power that is.

With that out of the way, what was your first Nintendo game that Iwata-Sensei was involved with? What did you like most about Iwata-Sensei? What would have been your final words to Iwata-Sensei had you knew today was his last day? Once again, thank you very much for reading! This has been a special tribute brought to you by the fellow writers of Blast Away The Game Review.

Rest In Peace Satori Iwata. You may be gone, but the memories and moments you shared with us all will never be forgotten.

Sunrise: December 6, 1959 // Sunset: July 11, 2015

Satoru Iwata, Former CEO of Nintendo

About the Writer:

A man growing up between the gaming boundaries on the 5th generation N64, but admiring the 3rd gen. NES and 4th generation Sega Genesis for their contributions, he always has something on his mind regarding video games and acessories. His first was a microphone for N64 for “Hey You, Pikachu!”, but expanded towards the next line up of gaming peripherals including the Astro A40, MadCatz MLG Pro Circiut Controller, MadCatz STRIKE 7, and many other gadgets. Now loving gaming tech more than ever, he sees this generation crucial to bring the full circle of social connectivity that the 8th generation of consoles have.

“Please Understand,” Reflecting on the Late Satoru Iwata

July 16, 2015July 17, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

When I tried to type this, I almost seem to be unable to finish, rather I can’t even begin due to the pain my heart feels. Many of you may know Satoru Iwata as the CEO of Nintendo, while many of us don’t see him as that. We see him as a developer, a gamer, a member of our community that changed gaming in many, many, many amazing ways that we can never expect to see happen again. Let alone was a he a member of a developer, he treated us like friends, and even his family rather he met us or not, which was the empowerment this man had over us as gamers, but also one of our very own. When I step back and wipe the tears from my eyes as I type this up almost a week after his passing, the tears have still not stopped falling as I feel myself choke up, but it’s not just because this man was one of us. It’s because the adventure he took us on that stopped before it could truly feel like it was finished.

As you may know, Iwata-san was a visionary, a man who loved challenges, but there is a man that many of you may or may not know about in his younger years before he took to Nintendo. As a young man in his years growing up in his home town of Sapporo, Japan, Satoru-sama grew up with his father taking place in a head of his district as municipal mayor. In those years, Satoru began to find himself interested in video games and technology as he would get bored, create video games on his calculator, and would soon begin distributing those games to his friends. Over the years Iwata found himself growing even more interested in computers and would be admitted to the Tokyo Institute of Technology where he took on multiple classes so that he could major in computer sciences, which would soon lead to him taking his unpaid internship at Commodore Japan, which lead him to taking a job with HAL Laboratory. There he would find himself becoming the head engineer completing tasks with technical and software development. This is also where he would begin freelance work as a programmer for HAL Laboratory, Inc., as a game developer and would collaborate closely with Nintendo, which inevitable lead to his departure from the company and finding himself at Nintendo. However, after graduating from the university, many wouldn’t know that he came onto HAL Laboratory as a full-time employee where he would become the coordinator of software production starting in 1983, and would help build a relationship between both HAL and Nintendo in order to produce games for the Famicom home console.

Many would not know his success with games he worked on such as Balloon Fight, NES Open Tournament Golf, EarthBound, and the Kirby franchises. As the company began to go into bankruptcy, Iwata was appointed as President of HAL in 1993 where he helped readjust the companies business strategies and stabilize the company once more into a successful company, which would strengthen the ties with Nintendo.

Let alone did Iwata help save HAL, he also helped found the company Creatures Inc., which was founded in 1995 by Tsunekazu Ishihara, which would lead to the successful titles Pokémon Gold and Silver for the Game Boy Color in the fall of 1999. While he also helped do that, many would not know that Iwata helped develop the future title Pokémon Stadium, but also helped make this possible by using code from the original Red and Green titles in order to re-work the code in order for it to function, but during this period he also created the compression tools that were used for Gold and Silver when they eventually launched on the GBC. Let alone did his legacy entail the franchises Pokémon, he was also known for some of the most popular Nintendo franchises such as Kirby, Super Smash Bros., Brain Age Games, Earthbound, Balloon Fight, but also the simple fact that he had re-innovated gaming thanks to his faith in the Nintendo DS where he would bring forth the new age of gaming where graphics didn’t matter, where games were to be enjoyed, and the fact that some franchises remain just as fresh as ever with small changes and new additions. This also made him a major hit with Nintendo, but also fans.

When looking away from his achievements as a developer, a CEO, we all know that there is a quote that Iwata-san gained our hearts with;

“On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.” – Satoru Iwata, Former CEO of Nintendo

This quote has become a motto that Nintendo has since followed. Thus saying is one that Iwata would demonstrate with great love when working on the projects he was apart of when working with the teams at Nintendo around the world, but what is his impact with the world?

The legacy that Iwata leaves behind is one that is huge, in an instant we lost the biggest and most sincere person that could have ever been met within the gaming industry; the moment he had said, “Please understand,” it wasn’t because he was going to say something to shut the crowds up, it was because he was being sincere, loving, and truthful to the fans of Nintendo as a whole, but not just to fans. Instead he said ut to an industry as well as the world around him. When Iwata-san was around, people knew who he was, he was one of us, and someone that loved games just as much as we did regardless of graphics, regardless of console, but he enjoyed them because they were fun, creative, and enjoyable. His death has left a large hole in the hearts of the fans who loved him because of his character, his enjoyability of games, his passion, drive, and sincerity that could be seen in the Nintendo forums known as Iwata Asks.

Iwata-san was not just another suit, he was a man who was much like any of us fans of gamers no matter the graphics of games, the console that played them, or the genre. In truth, his death has impacted the world as a whole.

With my closing thoughts, I hope you take this and know, he was not a businessman, he was one of us, he was a gamer at heart, and he loved his fans just as much as they loved him.

“Iwata, you will be missed. Your legacy, creativity, love, and passion is something that shall be looked upon and remind us just how young we are in heart, as gamers, and as an industry. Your impact has truly been felt and won’t be seen for possibly decades till those who look back on you will see what you have done for us. I must truly say, my heart has broken as I feel I have lost a personal friend due to your sincerity, passion, and love that could be felt through both Iwata Ask’s and Nintendo Direct. You will be missed, you are loved, and you will be remembered for centuries.” – Dustin Murphy, President of Blast Away the Game Review

Satoru Iwata

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– December 6th, 1959 to July 11th, 2015 –

About the Writer:

Blast Away The Game Review

A little bit of news, a little bit of reviews, and bit of games from around the world for you.

Author: Dustin Murphy

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Sunrise: December 6, 1959 // Sunset: July 11, 2015

Satoru Iwata, Former CEO of Nintendo

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“Please Understand,” Reflecting on the Late Satoru Iwata

Satoru Iwata

– December 6th, 1959 to July 11th, 2015 –

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Final Score: 6 out of 10

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Sunrise: December 6, 1959 // Sunset: July 11, 2015

Satoru Iwata, Former CEO of Nintendo

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Satoru Iwata

– December 6th, 1959 to July 11th, 2015 –

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