Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation Announced for PS Vita

February 22, 2015February 22, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

Got enough of Gameindustri? No? Well you’re in luck! Recently announced by Idea Factory, Int. they are excited to announce that the Four CPU’s will once more be returning to the front of the story and will allow players to once more assist the four CPU’s in trying to save Gameindustri this summer for both North America in Europe. The game will be launching on both PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV in both retail and digital formats.

For those who decide to obtain Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth3: V Generation will get to experience an all new version of Hyperdimension Neptunia: Victory, which launched originally on PlayStation 3. The game will boast a newly imagined story, scenario, and even extra ‘helpings’ of fourth-wall-breaking comedy that has been witnessed in past titles. The game will also include something special when it comes to free DLC. What’s so special about it? Dual audio allowing for players to play in both English and Japanese dub while also experiecing the game with the subtitles – oh, and it’s free!

So what exactly does this game boast? In the words of Histoire, it’s time to Nep-Nep like it’s 1989! With this new game, players can prepare to see an alternate dimension of Gameindustri, which has stuck her in the world of the late ‘80’s, and will cause Neptune to once more collect enough shares in order to open up a path to her home dimension. Even though it sounds easy, players will have to take on the troublesome and nefarious enemy alliance known as the Seven Sages who want to annihilate the CPU’s so that they can take over.

Much like past games, the game will boast the idea of friendship, this time across two dimensions, and will allow these friendships to take on the Seven Sages who will look at any way possible to make Neptune stay within the 80’s dimension of Gameindustri. While fighting through the game, players will get to take on the capability of creating their own attack combinations with up to five moves, and opening up an entire new way of taking out their enemies. Want to go back to dungeons and explore them? Well Stella’s dungeon is back, and this time she can bring her friends to help her fight through the dungeon while utilizing their special skills, while supporting the items quest.

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, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. 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. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Bladestorm: Nightmare Pre-Order Bonuses and Demo Announced

February 22, 2015February 22, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

Interested in storming the battlefield in the newest Bladestorm entry? We knew you would be. As of this past week, Koei Tecmo has announced the upcoming pre-order DLC that will available through GameStop (exclusively) will get a Dragon Mask & Staff Item set along with a special costume set for the Black Prince and Joan of Arc that will be available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox one when the game launches in early March of this year.

In addition to these announcements, players who play the demo will get to see the games battle tutorial in action through the games demo. This will allow players to lead a character along with their troops into battle, while commanding troops to take on attack actions, use different employable weapons as well as the tactic known as ‘zapping’ between units. It was also announced by Keoi Tecmo that those who download the demo will be able to save data transfer from Bladestorm: the Hundred Year War PlayStation 3 version to Bladestorm: Nightmare PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 versions. We advise visiting the official Bladestorm website for more information regarding this transfer, but also future features of the title.

Would you like to see us review this title? Let us know in the comments.

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Review: The Order: 1886 – Ordering an Interactive Cinema Experience

February 22, 2015February 22, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Review by Dustin Murphy

Pros:
+The best graphics engine to date compared to other releases this generation
+Characters that are easily relatable to and sit almost true to their timeframes
+Werewolves, Vampires, Corrupt Knights in an Arthurian like tale
+Gunplay mechanics are pristine and well rounded
+Voice-acting is on par with a high-end Hollywood production
+Creative and intuitive ways to use quick-time-events

Cons:
–Cutscenes, even if in-game, tend to sometimes take away from player immersion
–Linear pathways leave little room for players to explore
–No backtracking through previously visited areas
–Characters at times seem out of place whether in combat or in cutscenes
–Quick-time-events can sometimes seem out of place are repetitive, could use work

Editor’s Note: Before reading this, please note the review is an expanded version of our hands-on-impression and includes a final take on The Order: 1886. We apologize if this is an inconvenience, but it was decided this was the best way to approach this review due to how lengthy it would be if we included both looks at the game.

The Order: 1886, as stated in the hands-on-impression, is a interactive cinema experience. It is a game that pushes the blend between movie, game, and storytelling to a level you may have only seen in games such as Beyond Two Souls, Heavy Rain, Binary Domain, Gears of War, and even God of War. Unlike a few of the titles, however, The Order: 1886 at times almost seems to have an identity crisis with what it wants to be. Starting out in the game, players are introduced within the first few minutes of starting up the game, to a quicktime-event that introduces our character ‘Grey’ or rather more-renowned as Sir Galahad. Upon this introduction it was more than clear this game was not going to disclude them from the overall experience. Allowing players to partake in this type of setup would have actually been a better choice than going between interactive movie and playable game.

After being introduced to the first chapter or two, players will get to meet their full blown entourage and begin their exploration into an alt-history London where Werewolves, Vampires, and a zealous Order have taken rule. The Order’s job? To keep London safe and act as London’s ‘special operations division’. Doing this, they work closely with Nikola Tesla (can we just call him father of modern electricity?). Tesla acts as their weapons engineer, inventor and even the guy who helps out with scientific findings when needed. However, players will not be seeing much of him outside of his lab, instead they will get to know Marquise de Lafayette, Lady Igraine, and Sir Perceval. These characters are ones that the game tends to focus on in order to build the story that flows around them in regards to a rebel incursion that has a rather frightening background, but with this game, all is not what it seems, which leaves quite a few plot holes for players to dig through in order to understand what the real story is. Something that can be quite interesting to keep track of in a 68% or higher completion rate (yes, we’re talking trophies here, and it’s not going to be easy in just one playthrough).

With much of the games story hidden through background conversations, cut scenes, and even hidden documentation (phonograph recordings, newspaper clippings, photo’s, and even found artwork), players can find themselves a bit confused at what the entire plot is. Even for those who are sharp as a well sharpened knife, it’ll still be hard to piece together at times since the game doesn’t offer just a whole lot in the area of background stories. All that is known up to this game? Is all that Ready at Dawn and SCE Santa Monica wanted you to know. Unfortunately, this is where the outcry from fans can be understandable as the story itself is minimal, gameplay short (our review playthrough clocked in at 14 ½ hours with a 68% trophy completion and no breaks). Much like the out of place QTE’s even combat seems to be out of place at times since players will, at times, hop between cutscenes that are rendered using the games in-game graphic engine and a rather large scale shootout where players will take on enemies who are not scared to fall back and hide. Unlike enemies in Gears of War or other shooters, enemies do not seem to be programmed to come out from hiding after a certain duration, instead there were times when the most opportune weapon to use was a grenade in order to wipe out any stragglers that decided to hide behind a crate or wall.

However, that’s not the most troubling part when it does come to this games combat system, instead it is Galahad’s ability to slow-down time in-combat and diminish any remaining enemies that seem to be within range. Granted he switches to his pistol to do so – players will still find a bit of an eyeroll towards this, which does seem to reflect on the idea that these knights are the badasses that Ready at Dawn wanted them to be. Even with this being so, it is unsurprising that players will find themselves getting downed once in combat, which leads to, guess what? Another quick time event where players will find themselves pressing triangle only to return to smashing on their X button, but if they are not quick enough to do so those pesky enemies will come around and quickly dispatch any chances of returning to combat. If players die it won’t be uncommon to hear a bit of outcry in annoyance due to the awkwardly drawn out checkpoints that will set players back to the original checkpoint before combat started. This is even more-so troubling when combating the games rare-to-see werewolves. Fighting these ugly four legged beasts are more than a hassle. Players will become best friends with their X button when not hosing down one of these rather ugly creatures. Pressing X will allow players to quickly dodge out of the way and find some relief in doing so when not shooting the living heck out of a werewolf. Though some of these guys are not fought by just a shooting scenario, instead the combat for some of them is broken down into a QTE based scenario where players will find themselves dodging using the right analog stick while also hitting R2 for heavy attacks and L2 for light, but quick attacks. This set of combat is lucrative, out of place, and unfortunately does draw away from the games overall immersion since players will possibly be reluctant to even partake in these events. For those wanting a more-immersive cinematic experience, this may be right up your ally, for others it is going to be a bit of a hassle and a frustrating one at that. At least stealth kills and melee don’t seem that out of place when it comes to basic combat situations.

Outside of picking apart a rather awkward combat system that seems to try and take from a seemingly familiar Uncharted when it first launched on PS3, The Order: 1886 also offers up a wide array of weapons. These weapons include an arc gun that shoots electricity, The Order’s assault rifle that offers a nice little enemy stun, a massive array of pistols, shotguns, and even single shot rifles for those who want accuracy over firerate. Unfortunately it is not up to the players what weapons they use from the start of each chapter since the game has a preset weapon selection that sets players up with a choice of armoury that Galahad seems to be at peace with. This means that sniper rifle you found in Chapter IX? It’s not going to reappear in Chapter XI or Chapter XII. This is something that seems to more-so be within the developers array of weapon loadout and is unfortunate since there are weapons that players would undoubtedly want to tote around. However, to solve this issue, the development team did allow for enemies to carry an immense amount of weapon loadouts. This means those of you who want to change up your weapons can gladly do so while some might find themselves a bit more satisfied with the standardized setup that Galahad will come into combat with.

When stepping away from the negatives of the combat system, loadout and diluted immersion due to QTE’s and combat scenarios, The Order: 1886 is something profoundly solid, which is something to be said as one of the first exclusive launches in the second year of the PlayStation 4’s lifespan. The game boasts one of the best graphics engines to date, which works well for a game that shoots to be an interactive movie, which is something even the Game Director Dana Jan had to come at the defense of with original claims putting the game at five hours in length. So were the claims right? As part of the review playthrough it was time to press the games duration when moving through each of the games difficulties, which meant that would be hit at multiple difficulties, which we had to select ONCE the game started through the options menu. Timing the gameplay it was time to grab a stopwatch in order to track the gameplay length without hunting down trophies. So how did we manage to play out? With the game on easy the first playthrough clocked in at roughly six hours, second play through at almost six and a half and hard at a massive eight hours, which meant that the game took up quite a bit of time to hammer out regardless of how fast we hammered out. Do note that in those playthroughs I was not allowed to hunt down collectibles and was forced to play through the game as if I were someone just wanting to explore the story. With that being said, it isn’t surprising there have been reports of the game being no longer than five hours, which was pushed for in the speed playthroughs that left with few deaths, and a whole lot of annoyances when fighting against the werewolves whom were determined at slowing down the pace that was being aimed for. With that being said? The game does deliver itself as a movie based game, but does that justify the cost for those who aren’t collectible hunters? In the experience that was played through, the answer was a yes, but it was taken by note that the shortcomings began to outweigh the positives of the title with each passing minute in the speed playthroughs.

Even while boasting some solid, but at time weak mechanics, and minor irritations – The Order: 1886 does one thing most games haven’t, which is to try and set a pacing for a medium as an interactive movie. This interactive movie experience is something that Ready at Dawn and SCE Santa Monica has seemingly almost mastered if it hadn’t been for the QTE’s that popped up out of nowhere and seemed quite a bit out of place at times. With a little bit of polishing, focus on the combat scenarios, and even fixing the out-of-place combat locations that do tend to pop up for dramatic effect the game could easily place itself with a masterful series in the ftuure. With all this being said, The Order: 1886 is a designed masterpiece that could’ve used a bit more polishing, but like all masterpieces it was not meant to be perfect and has room to improve with future installments to a could-be franchise if Sony is to pick it up for a sequel. The next time around we just hope that combat is a bit more polished, QTE’s are a bit more well placed, and we do see more of those frightful enemies we’ve been introduced to.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

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Hands-On Impressions: The Order: 1886 – A Year That Never Looked This Good

February 21, 2015February 22, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

When going into “The Order: 1886” there was a massive amount of concern due to the rumoured roughly six hour campaign. To many gamers this day-in-age that would be a very short game. To many, it is also pushing us for 10 USD an hour based upon the purchase itself. With that being said, it wouldn’t be strange to some however, for a movie that pushes the graphics and QTE (quick time event) moments like some other games before it, but where the controversy arises isn’t just over this, but how much of the movie is cinematic versus gameplay.

/-/ Cinematic vs Gameplay: Is it really that bad? /-/

It’s no surprise that Sony has wanted a game to press the limits of the PlayStation 4, but also to present itself in a magnificent way with graphics, gameplay, and mechanics. However, this is in a way where the game gets a little muddied and convoluted. Like many times before, it is no stranger to see games that are very story driven, very cinematic, and feature a well balanced resume of gameplay portions compared to its cinematic portions. Care for a few references? God of War, Beyond Two Souls, Heavy Rain, and even Remember Me. These games all tributed themselves upon their manner of storytelling via the cinematic scenes, but also through the gameplay mechanics as well as the simple approach to how balanced both systems are. For example, with God of War we saw multiple instances where players had to press Square, Triangle, X, Circle, R1, R2, L1, and even L2 in order to coordinate the proper responses from Kratos. With Beyond Two Souls/Heavy Rain (both developed by Quantic Dream), there is no surprise that the two games are cinematic masterpieces that look absolutely marvelous when put side by side with a PlayStation 4 game such as The Order: 1886. Each of the games mentioned by Quantic Dream were very thorough on their balancing of cinematic and QTE queues, but also the balance of how long the player had to play the character(s) before their time to enter another cinematic was given. This is something that SCE Santa Monica and Ready at Dawn have done with their game.

The Order: 1886 almost instantly opens up in video clips that explain the events (to an extent), but more-so giving us a Sir Galahad who has been imprisoned and is being all, but tortured. In these opening moments of the game, players are queued to respond to the events by pressing triangle in order to make Galahad fight his restraints and push back against his captors. This leads up to the events of the player learning how to control Galahad, move through the terrains, and even interact with it, but also against enemies that may present themselves. The tutorial given will teach a player how to hold down some buttons before having to smash on others (most commonly Triangle and X in this place). These little moments are something that will come time and time again throughout this title, which is meant to be a rather interactive cinema experience versus what we could consider a traditional shooter such as Gears of War, Binary Domain, and even that once forgot title Quantum Theory had used in their game approaches, which was story told through dialogue while controlling the character. There are times where players will aim as well as shoot in QTE’s, but also take full control of the character while exploring areas, fighting enemies, and even going through what feels like a cut scene.

So is this really bad? After reading numerous reviews, it intrigued me to see what all the disgruntled critics, gamers, and even other audiences saw. Their disgruntledness? At the heart of The Order: 1886 I got a very cinematic experience that was driven by rather minimalistic gaming mechanics, which actually drove quite a bit of the games uniqueness from the modern age of games where we have been plagued with games that focus upon shooting, blowing things up, and well – multiplayer. Instead, The Order: 1886 takes players on a wild ride through a steampunk-esque London where players will take on a rebel enemy, werewolf incursion, and well even mysteries that will befall them as the gameplay goes on. With the game focusing on both cinematic and audio-based queues, it’s not surprising that the game has one of the best scores I’ve heard in a long time, but also some of the most beautiful graphics that are on the next-gen consoles. Thankfully, the balance of cinematics and player controlled gameplay is well done, balanced, and deserves a decent applaud to both SCE Santa Monica and Ready at Dawn for their accomplishment in how well balanced the QTE’s, in-game clips, as well as combat mechanics work.

/-/ Gameplay: So… It’s linear? /-/

The one thing that anyone that purchases the title will notice is that this game is very linear. This means that areas are very set in stone, your hand is being held, and exploration is limited to the areas that are available for you. However, make a mistake, and you’ll be restarting the game once you complete it in order to experience the places you’ve managed to forsake in your first endeavor through London. Even with how linear the game is, I found myself taking the road less taken in order to find secrets that can be considered to be ‘cameos’ such as a Sackboy that looks rather drab and sad while finding a photo that had “Zelda” signed across the back of it, which attributed it to possibly Princess Zelda. I also managed to find hints at a few movies that were hidden within it. Outside of what little side exploration players can do, they will be restricted to preset areas, cutscenes, and even pushed forth to a place they may or may not have wanted to go in the long run. However, this kind of handholding actually made the games pacing felt rather well done, plotted, and helped drive the games story so that I felt immersed and poised to keep exploring.

While playing, however, I was entered into moments where fights were mandatory and unfortunately took away from how the games mechanics felt. Want to go stealth? Well, unless you are very good at it, and the game doesn’t force you into combat – SHANK AWAY! Just remember, even melee combat is tough as it is and will cause some to bash their heads relentlessly against a wall in order to cope with such a mechanic. However, it’s something that actually worked and had helped decide that there would be a future foray into the areas that had yet to be seen. Though one question arose – if this game was meant to be a cinematic experience, where is the exploring of Nikola Tesla’s lab since the rooms inside the closed doors are highly detailed and look as if Galahad should be able to go into them? That was something that plagued me through my almost (not yet completed) 9-hour adventure through The Order: 1886. This means that I did spend a good chunk of my time going through the games few moments of combat, exploring, and enjoying the sights that the game has for us to take in. This is one thing that games such as Remember Me, Dragon Age 2, and even Mass Effect 2 (can’t say it didn’t folks) tended to suffer from, but it helped drive the games pace when said and done.

/-/ Interactive Cinema: Does it really drive this ‘movie’? /-/

There is definitely something that is to be said about the graphics and animations in The Order: 1886. These are by far some of the best graphics to this date, which makes The Order: 1886 one of the most solid looking games to date on PlayStation 4 and even triumphs that of the remastered Halo 2 by quite a bit. So what does this mean? When looking at The Order: 1886, it’s by far the most gorgeous game to date. The thing that many will find surprising is that there is not a moment of layer clipping on clothing articles, character faces, weapons, item collisions, or even particle effects. There were at times I wondered if I was watching a movie, playing a game, and or both at the same time. The answer to my own wandering? Yes I was doing both at the same time. The game itself can be considered just short of photorealism and possibly the best looking game in video game history. When needing to find a game to compare it to, it’s not hard to take a look at Hideo Kojima’s masterpiece “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes”. When Ground Zeroes launched last year, it was by far one of the best looking games on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which puts it in a place of high regard. With the game following a path of semi-realism, there is a place where the game seems to show itself as a cinematic adventure that players were seemingly never supposed to take part of, which is where the graphics, the 30fps, and even the 1080p portion of the game play a rather large role for that matter.

When taking a peek at the game, I decided to revisit some of the games busiest moments where chaos ensued, enemies plagued the screen, and well – pressed the game to its max with particle effects. When the game did this, it was hard to not see that the game would begin to hold a players hand, guide them from scene to scene, and use quite a bit of small moments where players would take control of Galahad in order to fight rebels and werewolves, but where is the gameplay that should at least seem more tangible than the rest? That is something I found myself asking a few times when I leaned back while going through each of the games ‘cutscenes’, which use the in-game graphic rendering in order to keep everything looking rather well polished. Being as well rendered as it is, it has provided some of the best lighting, particle, shadowing, and even blending I’ve ever scene, which worked well in the 30fps area, which the game is hard locked at. After sitting down and having a lengthy discussion with another person who has played the game, it was unsurprising to come to the agreement that the game itself would lose that cinematic feel had it been set to 60fps with the letterbox look to it, which is what gives the game that movie like experience. This game has provided some details that many games could take notes from when it comes to character models, animations, particle effects, shadow effects, and even cinematography.

/-/ Story /-/

As another part of the game that is under fire is the story. The story places you, as stated, as Sir Galahad, known as one of the Knights of the Round from King Arthurs Court. You will also get to see several others known as Sir Perceval, Lady Igraine. The court also puts new recruit who is also an apprentice to Sir Perceval, frenchmen Marquis de Lafayette (for those of you that are history buffs, this game directly twists history to an alternate history) on this specially assigned team. The story involves a very different history than one we know. It is one where even Nikola Tesla has joined the battle that The Order has pushed against while fighting against a rebel incursion, a hauntingly menace enemy we can call “Werewolves” and a rather troublesome coup’de’tat that seems to be going underway the moment the game starts out. With the gaming starting with what is seemingly the beginning, it is not surprising that a few gamers may be just a bit disgruntled or dissatisfied by the events that will unwind before them.

With much of the story being lost, at times, in dialogue as well as hidden memo’s such as newspapers, letters, and photo’s, the game does seem to struggle at some point to keep some form of relativity into what is playing out before the viewer. Think of it as a narrative that gets lost within its own narrative, something that can cause players to lose pace with what the story is trying to tell, this can be even more confusing when players find the phonographs, which will give them a bit of a twist of the backstory that has unraveled behind them. The most perplexing part, one that they only have slightly explained, is the usage of Arthurian names such as Lady Igraine, Sir Perceval, and even Sir Galahad. Sure the names are to strike a bit of interest for those who value and cherish the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but it leaves a bit of confusion for those who are wanting to know a bit more history behind the reasoning. While the names will be rather familiar, these are not the names of the true Knights that they characters are, instead they have adopted the names and carried them onwards with The Order.

As one plays through the story there will not be an uncommon questioning of who the real enemy is, why they aren’t focused upon, and why the story leading up to the current war that The Order is facing hasn’t gone into an in-depth story from the get-go so that players may understand the events that are going on at this time. What does work however is the formulaic path that the team has taken that will let characters and players become relatable in many forms and even have a wide array of personalities between one another. While it is understandable that they have taken this approach, it will leave some negative feedback to those who were wishing for a bit more story that leaves no current plot holes and fulfills the expectations that should occur.

/-/ Final Examination Before Review /-/

As I’ve began to prepare for the review there are a few things that I’ve been picking apart more-so than ever. After having spent more than ten hours in my single campaign playthrough, the game has a rather in depth story that can be misunderstood by those whom do not search around, but one thing is certain. It’s hard not to understand that this game, at heart, is a very cinematic experience that does have a few plot holes and places that it could have used some work. Till it comes time for my review, I’ve been keeping a rather open mind about this games approach to story and even the gameplay itself. Stay tuned for our upcoming review in the very near future so that we can cover all bases including an in depth analysis of the games campaign, story, hidden secrets, and even changes in difficulty.

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Opinion: DLC – Evolution Done Too Quick? – Pt. 1

February 17, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Devon Day

Hello fellow readers of Blast Away The Game Review! Today, I bring to you a topic that has been bothering me for quite a while now; especially in recent years. With this I also bring to you my personal opinion of what I define to be Downloadable Content or DLC for short. After I finish my personal feelings and thoughts, I would like to hear your own; keep in mind that this is just my personal opinion of what I define to be DLC. With that being said, let us get started!

1996 would be a year that Nintendo would help the GameBoy Color catapult and ultimately cement handheld gaming as a major component with their smash hit series; Pokemon. Be it loved or hated, the series became a major contribution of the success of the GameBoy Color and paved the way for multiple games using similar gameplay mechanics, as well as its own sequels. One thing did catch on to me however, was a Pokemon by the name of Mew. After grinding away and finally giving K. Krush Kool a walloping in Donkey Kong 64, my friends had introduced me to Pokemon. Initially, I was enthralled by its simplistic charm and eloquence, but one Pokemon I didn’t quite understand was Mew. “How did you obtain it?” I asked. My friend replied he got this creature through something known as an “event”; a specialized time frame in which GameFreak distributes rare and powerful Pokemon; some with unique abilities or attacks not available through the game itself. As I wanted to obtain one myself, I could not. My mother didn’t have the funds, and it wasn’t until “Giratina and The Sky Warrior” I would finally have one. Back to New however, one thing I didn’t realize is both Nintendo and GameFreak both pioneered a concept that would pave the way for the future. Whether or not Mr. Yamauchi knew is up for question, but once again, a concept unknown began to surface and would rapidly evolve throughout time.

That being said, this leads me to believe that Mew, was in fact, the progenitor of DLC. Since New was unobtainable by other means, the only way to obtain this legend was from a code sent by GameFreak. Using this information, game companies today use the same principles; be it a code through payment or not. However, much like the advancement of science, video gaming is no different. That being said, let us see how game companies began a “expansion” towards the idea.

Companies that saw the Mew event knew that there was untapped potential. One of those companies was Core Design; founders of the Tomb Raider series. One of the first expansions in video game history was “Unfinished Business”, released the same year as Pokemon Red and Blue. While said expansion was a great start, “The Golden Mask” was even better; some even considering it the best expansion in the series. Said expansions introduced new dynamic elements of gameplay and aspects that not only changed the experience, it expanded on the core values of the games mechanics. WoW would also utilize a similar strategy later on; as would other games, such as Fable: The Lost Chapters.

By understanding this method of a new method of delivering content in the form of “Expansion”, we understand how this concept was derived from DLC. “How did ‘Expansion’ trickle down from ‘DLC’?”, I hear you asking. Remember Mew? Remember how New could utilize any move he wanted? While Mew didn’t alter any form of experience the game, as it was still a core function within the game, he did alter the aspects of the gameplay mechanics, as using any move introduced a level of unpredictability within the game. Yes, CPU wouldn’t change its strategy, but your friends most likely had to. However, one major factor we have not touched on yet would be online gaming. Don’t fret, as we shall! That being said, let us continue!

Many people remember an great start towards online gaming with the Xbox. However, the Dreamcast pioneered the concept, and Microsoft rapidly evolved the concept of online gaming. Much like online gaming, DLC was bound to go with, and one company already had a planet buster series to utilize; Bungie. Halo Combat Evolved started a revolution of multiplayer gaming; GoldenEye being its forerunner. Halo 2 would add “DLC” of its own; giving rise to “Map Packs”. This form of DLC expanded the usage of how DLC is implemented; introducing new maps containing newer strategic areas; as well as new dynamic elements towards the game. DLC “Map Packs” would further pave its way onto the next generation, but applied a different outlook. Before we get into that, let us discuss the “Map Pack”. Map Packs might have revolutionized the concept, but didn’t quite revolutionize the concept much like Nintendo did. However, Bungie would help another sleeping giant, as well as its greatest adversaries to come, in both Treyarch and Infinity Ward use the idea of DLC and use it towards their advantage. However, how they used the concept will be discussed… starting now.

Call of Duty changed the FPS landscape due towards its fast, fanatic pacing within multiplayer online gaming. However, they would also be the pioneers of altering the original form of DLC as well. Modern Warfare 3 introduced something called the “Season Pass”; bypassing DLC altogether in exchange for a set fee of $49.99. Seeing this opportunity but not wanting to just “add” content much like Call of Duty did, Take Two’s franchise of Borderlands hit full stride in “Borderlands 2”, adding further elements of the first. The biggest difference however, was Take Two’s variation of the Season Pass; buy your way to obtain a higher level cap. While the other elements, such as revamped levels and missions that introduced new ways to explore the game, if you were a completionist, buying the Season Pass was a necessity. Call of Duty drives this further down. Suppose you want to play with friends via an in game join progress session, but your friends have the latest map pack, or even the Season Pass. Playing with your friends just got a bit more expensive. Another example of how DLC has been heavily altered is the Street Fighter 4 saga. Fans were displeased with Capcom to find out that characters were in the game, but had to pay a fee in order to obtain them. This isn’t to say some companies don’t know how DLC works, but others like Capcom have successfully altered the original purpose of DLC, which again, was to introduce a new refreshing experience and introduce dynamic elements and aspects to further utilize the core mechanics of the game. However, the 7th gen. was just the start. Let us skip into the 8th gen. Onwards, fellow readers! You are reaching the light at the end of the tunnel!

After the Season Pass introduction by Modern Warfare 3, League of Legends introduced Micro-Transactions. While not the first game to do so, how Riot Games utilizes this does raise some concern. For example, say if you love a champion, but said champion is part of something known as the “Weekly Rotation”, you have spend money to obtain said champion for good. While the costume variations are done right in the case of introducing a new cosmetic towards a character; how they are priced still remains the issue. Thankfully, these are not forced upon a player, but having said option should be more accessible towards everyone since it is a “Free To Play”. Planet side 2 goes a step further; using micro transactions for faster level ups and better weapons. Such systems become “Pay To Win” and incite people with better income to play said game to real the benefits. In hindsight, this is turning the original purpose of DLC into something toxic. Gamers now are under the generalization that many companies use the term only to obtain higher profitability. The most recent example of this is Evolve, where Take Two predicated the top priority of the game to obtain profit through minor tweaks and changes for a substantial amount of money; totaling well over $100. For me, I think that many game publishers need to re-evaluate the original purpose of DLC, how to properly price the content, and radically change the tactics being used. If not, gamers will be hesitant on a purchase; unknowing that there are additional fees of the game they may have to obtain, which in turn, could not only damage gaming franchises, but trust as well; something that cannot be broken in an industry that continually increases each passing year. Ultimately however, my definition of what I believe to be a DLC is this: A form of content that introduces and drastically changes elements and aspects of a form of entertainment refreshing while still utilizing the core mechanics.

That being said, this now concludes my interpretation of what I define to be a DLC. Now that I have completed my definition, I would like to hear yours. Before you start however, keep in mind that person is entitled towards their opinion. All I ask is that if you don’t like another persons viewpoint, please be constructive in your criticism.

About the Writer:

A man growing up between the gaming boundaries on the 5th generation Nintendo 64, but admiring the 3rd gen. Nintendo Entertainment System and 4th generation Sega Genesis for their contributions, Devon Day always has something on his mind regarding video games and the accessories they contain. His first was a microphone for the Nintendo 64 for the “Hey You, Pikachu!” video game, 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 gaming gadgets. Now loving gaming tech more than ever, he sees this generation crucial to bring the full circle of social connectivity that the 7th. generation of video game consoles started.

Sony Announces their 2015 Release Line-Up So Far

February 14, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

If you were one to think that Sony had a rather short list this year – you were dead wrong. The list that they recently released on the official Sid Shuman, Senior Manager, and Social Media over at the official PlayStation Blog outlined more games than I could have counted on my fingers, toes, and eyelashes combined in a single go. Some of these titles were actually rather surprising for one to see as they highlighted quite a few PlayStation Vita games, which shows that there is signs of hope yet!

So lets take a look specifically at the PlayStation Vita to this point before we head onto the others. For the full list of games you can visit the the PlayStation Blog 2015 list for more titles that will take place on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita/TV this year!

Dated Titles

htoL#Niq: The Firefly Diary | NIS America | 2/24/2015
Hyperdevotion Noire: Godess Black Heart | Idea Factory | 2/24/2015
Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters | Aksys Games | 3/10/2015
Toukiden: Kiwami | Koei Tecmo | 3/24/2015
LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin | Warner Bros. | 3/24/2015
MLB 15: The Show | SCE | 3/31/2015

Upcoming Title Without Release Dates

A Virus Named Tom | Misfits Attic, Inc. | PS Vita
Alone With You | Benjamin Rivers Inc. | PS4 / PS Vita
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer | Playdek | PS Vita
Assault Android Cactus | Witch Beam | PS4 / PS Vita
Axiom Verge | Thomas Happ Games | PS4 / PS Vita
Aztez | Team Colorblind | PS4 / PS Vita
Baboon! | Relevo Videogames | PS Vita
Badland: Game of the Year Edition | Frogmind | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Bastion | Supergiant Games | PS4 / PS Vita
Bigfest | Sony Computer Entertainment | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Blast ‘Em Bunnies | Nnooo | PS4 / PS Vita
Bodycheck | Ludometrics | PS Vita
Broforce | Devolver Digital | PS4 / PS Vita
Broken Age: The Complete Adventure | Double Fine/ 3rd Party Production | PS4 / PS Vita
Chroma Squad | Behold Studios | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Color Guardians | Fair Play Labs | PS4 / PS Vita
Cosmic Star Heroine | Zeboyd Games | PS4 / PS Vita
Darkest Dungeon | Red Hook Studios | PS4 / PS Vita
Day of the Tentacle Remastered | Double Fine Productions | PS4 / PS Vita
Death Ray Manta | Bagful of Wrong | PS Vita
Death Tales | Nine Tales | PS Vita
Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax | SEGA | PS3 / PS Vita
Desert Ashes | Nine Tales | PS4 / PS Vita
Dragon Fin Soup | Grimm Bros | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Drifter | Celsius Game Studios | PS4 / PS Vita
EarthNight | Cleaversoft | PS4 / PS Vita
Energy Hook | Happion Laboratories | PS4 / Vita
Fenix Rage | Reverb TripleXP | PS4 / PS Vita
Flame Over | Laughing Jackal | PS4 / PS Vita
forma.8 | MixedBag | PS4 / PS Vita
Foul Play | Devolver Digital | PS4 / PS Vita
GALAK-Z: The Dimensional | 17-Bit | PS4 / PS Vita
Gunship X | Hidden Elephant | PS4 / PS Vita
Habitat: A Thousand Generations in Orbit | Vs Evil | PS4
Hatoful Boyfriend | Devolver Digital | PS4 / PS Vita
Hellblade | Ninja Theory | PS4
Helldivers | Sony Computer Entertainment | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Heroes of Loot | Abstraction Games | PS Vita
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number | Devolver Digital | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
HTR+ Slot Car Simulation | QUByte | PS Vita
Hyper Light Drifter | Heart Machine | PS4 / PS Vita
Imagination is the Only Escape | Nine Tales | PS Vita
J-Stars Victory VS+ | Bandai Namco | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Klaus | La Cosa Entertainment | PS4 / PS Vita
Kodoku | Carnivore Studio | PS4 / PS Vita
Krinkle Krusher | Ilusis | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Kyn | Vs. Evil | PS4 / PS Vita
Legend of Raven | Nicalis | PS4 / PS Vita
LEGO Jurassic World | Warner Bros. | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers | Warner Bros. | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
MechRunner | Spark Plug Games | PS4 / PS Vita
Metal Slug 3 | SNK Playmore | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Mighty No. 9 | Comcept USA | PS4 / PS Vita
MilitAnt | Xibalba | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Monster Bag | Sony Computer Entertainment | PS Vita
Moon Hunters | Kitfox | PS4 / PS Vita
Murasaki Mist | Hollow Games | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots | Pocket Trap | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Not a Hero | Devolver Digital | PS4 / PS Vita
Nova-111: A Cosmic Voyage | Funktronic Labs | PS4 / Vita
Nuclear Throne | Vlambeer | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Octodad: Dadliest Catch | Young Horses | PS Vita
Oddworld New ‘N’ Tasty | Oddworld Inhabitants | PS3 / PS Vita
OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood | Roll7 | PS4 / PS Vita
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 | Bandai Namco | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
One Way Trip | Beret Applications | PS4 / PS Vita
Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy | NIS America | PS Vita
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines | Sony Computer Entertainment | PS Vita
Persona 4 Dancing All Night | Atlus | PS Vita
Pier Solar and the Grand Architects | Watermelon Co. | PS Vita
Project Root | Reverb TripleXP | PS4 / PS Vita
Ray’s The Dead | Ragtag Studio | PS4 / PS Vita
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 | Capcom/3rd Party Production | PS Vita
Salt & Sanctuary | Ska Studios | PS4 / PS Vita
Scram Kitty | Dakko Dakko | PS4 / PS Vita
Severed | Drinkbox Games | PS Vita
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero | WayForward | PS4 / PS Vita
Shovel Knight | Yacht Club Games | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Shu | Coatsink PS4 | PS Vita
Sketchcross | Spiky Fish Games | PS Vita
Skullgirls Encore | Lab Zero Games | PS4 / PS Vita
Soft Body | Bodysoft | PS4 / PS Vita
Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype | EastAsiaSoft | PS Vita
Son of Scoregasm | RC Knight | PS Vita
Squares | Leap GS | PS Vita
Starbound | Chucklefish | PS4 / PS Vita
Starwhal | Breakfall | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
SteamWorld Heist | Image & Form | PS4 / PS Vita
Steins;Gate | PQube | PS3 / PS Vita
Super Exploding Zoo | Honeyslug | PS4 / PS Vita
Super Time Force Ultra | Capy Games | PS4 / PS Vita
Supermagical | Tama Games | PS3 / PS Vita
The Banner Saga | Vs. Evil | PS4 / PS Vita
Titan Souls | Devolver Digital | PS4 / PS Vita
To Leave | Freaky Creations | PS4 / PS Vita
Tower of Guns | Grip Digital | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
TowerFall: Ascension | Matt Makes Games | PS Vita
Ultratron | Curve Digital | PS4 / PS3 / Vita
Volume | Mike Bithell | PS4 / PS Vita

As you can see the Vita, PS3, and PS4 share a lot of good games that are set out to release. We can only hope that means Sony is paying attention at how much support that the Vita has and gives it the first party support it needs. Even with all the titles still on the master list for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, Sony fans should be excited for the rather sizable list of upcoming PlayStation Vita titles whether they are retail released or just digital.

(Source: PlayStation Blog)

About the Writer:

Review: New Nintendo 3DS XL – 3D Gaming Gets a Fresh Breath of Air

February 14, 2015April 11, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Review by Dustin Murphy

Pros:
-3D Effects have had had a significant upgrade with 3D Face Tracking
-C-Stick functionality vastly improves gameplay on original 3DS titles
-Frame Rates in 3D on older titles heavily improved upon
-Button placements are much easier to adapt to and seem rather well planned
-Long sessions of gaming is now possible with how comfortable the NN3DS XL is made
-Vastly improved load times on some games*
-Battery life is significantly better on the NN3DS XL vs 3DS XL original
-amiibo functionality is there and allows for NFC to be used without any additional equipment

Cons:
-No wireless button to turn it on and off with
-Does not ship with a charger
-Migrating from previous 3DS or upgrading memory of the 3DS is a hassle
-Requires a screwdriver to remove black plate to upgrade or migrate memory cards
-Analog stick still feels cheaply made and still doesn’t seem Super Smash Bros. proof
-Friend codes are still intact and does not allow for Wii U style friends listing

With it’s launch on February 13th, 2015, the New Nintendo 3DS XL ushered in a new ‘era’ of enjoyability for Nintendo 3DS fans. This ‘era’ also ushered in a few small nuances that caused fans and newcomers to grumble as there have been a few limitations regarding the handheld. The nuances are ones that I, myself, have had to overcome and decide to acknowledge when it came down to trying to enjoy the handheld. Even with its new sleek form factor, which feels a lot more friendly to the diehard gamer who can use one entire battery charge in a single go, the New Nintendo 3DS XL is a vast improvement from its predecessors that seemed to stumble in the 3D realm itself. So this time? We’ve decided to go hands-on with the New Nintendo 3DS XL in order to bring you our hands-on impressions of it that will lead up to our review in the upcoming weeks.

/-/ The Good /-/

New and Gamer Friendly Control Layout:

When sitting down and placing the New Nintendo 3DS XL with the original 3DS XL, there are a few things that you need to take in note. One is that the New Nintendo 3DS XL has improved on the overall form-factor. This means that the handheld is sleeker, easier to hold, and doesn’t feel as top heavy as the previous one. Welcoming itself with this capability, it’s also hard to not notice that overall, there are a few big changes. Moving from having the start, home, and select buttons on the top near the touch pad on the bottom, Nintendo has vastly improved button placements; now you will find your buttons for the start as well as select to the right side under the ‘B’ button, whilst the power button can be found on the bottom of the handheld. A change that is actually a nice implementation and means that players won’t be accidentally bumping the power button during long hours of play or even downloading a rather large title.

Another thing is the noticeable change in placement of the following. The overall changes here are huge and minor, which leaves us starting with the biggest one: Cartridge placement. Now gamers will no longer find themselves hassling with removing games from behind their 3DS screen, this is something that is a very welcomed sight and has made gaming on the handheld rather easy versus slightly meticulous when having to either, open your screen or close it based upon ease of access to ensure the top screen didn’t get scratched, damage, or just even in the way when swapping between games (for those of you who don’t prefer digital). With the game slot now being on the bottom of the handheld, the New Nintendo 3DS XL is a lot more user friendly on this note and allowed for ease of swapping out games and enjoying them without being slowed down at all.

Stylus placement is something that fans may or may not be concerned about. I for one have found the stylus placement a bit interesting thanks to the new design. The stylus placement has been moved from the top (original 3DS small), to the side (3DS XL) and now to the bottom (NN3DS XL). This has made for an interesting time when needing to constantly pull out the stylus during long sessions of gaming. So, if you are like me, you will find yourself constantly latching the rather snug stylus in and out of its slot, and unfortunately having to cope with the fact that the stylus is placed in a rather odd and almost annoying place on the new handhelds build. Though it’s a minor irritation, it’s one that seems to bug a few others out there. However, fear not, just grab a back-up stylus that you don’t mind laying around and use it as it will defeat the need to constantly latch and unlatch the stylus from its placement slot.

Volume slider – now this is something that took a few people a moment to realize (if they didn’t read the booklet or have a sharp eye) to discover. With it no longer being placed on the side of the handheld, players will need to adjust to looking onto the left side of their top screen segment in order to find it. The slider, however, adjusts just as the 3D does, which is a nice thing seeing as where it is placed. Hopefully this means no broken screens, sliders, etc when having to quickly adjust the volume when in a car, on a train, on a plane, or just simply in some form of transit.

Adaptive Face Tracking 3D:

It’s no doubt that you have experienced the old Nintendo 3DS handheld and found yourself turning the 3D effect on many games off due to blurring 3D effects. This time around is a bit different. After having spent almost a literal 24 hours with the handheld, the New Nintendo 3DS is impressive let alone immersive compared to the past models. With Nintendo’s new implementation on face-tracking technologies, gamers can once more feel free to flick on those 3D tools, sit in a dim room (moderately lit near your face or it may/may not be able to track your face), and enjoy a session of full-on 3D gaming.

This time sitting for hours with 3D on is something that is quite immersive and worthwhile. Having sat and played games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, and even the smash hit Bravely Default just to experience the enhanced 3D capability and frame rates. Each of the games were noted to play better, not require the annoying circle pad pro attachment, and even allowed for us to find ourselves laying back in 3D while never once losing enjoyment of the systems newly implemented 3D upgrades.

Note that we did see small frame rate drops between 3D-less and 3D enabled gameplay on Majora’s Mask, but it was not significant enough to interrupt our gameplay.

The C-Stick/LZ/RZ Buttons or ‘Circle Pad Pro’:

Anyone that has played games such as Resident Evil: Revelations, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, it was hard not to take advantage of the C-Stick functionality, but also trying out the LZ and RZ button’s. For Kingdom Hearts, the buttons worked gracefully, allowing for better gameflow, but also allowing for an easier time adapting to combat scenarios versus having to manually brush through enemies.

Though the buttons have little to no use at this time due to the unreleased “New Nintendo 3DS Exclusive Titles” gamers will find themselves a bit dumbfounded as to why the buttons even exist until these games launch, which will be a bit of a nuisance. Though the C-Stick is instantly usable and did allow for ease of controlling the games that were played. The most noticeable use was in games such as Resident Evil: Revelations, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, and the Monster Hunter titles, which is where it was found that the c-stick made the games much easier to play and even more enjoyable. Though for Resident Evil: Revelations, it took a bit longer to adjust to the speed of the c-stick versus what we were used to with the Circle Pad Pro. This new model’s buttons easily put it on par with Sony’s PlayStation Vita and could even rival it in the upcoming days.

Faster Download Speeds:

With the new processors, new system, and even improved WiFi capability, there’s only one question that would be present: How fast are the downloads? With the ever-growing library of digital games that swarm the Nintendo eShop on a weekly basis, it’s not a surprise that downloading would be a concern, and with many gamers going digital – this is something very important. To test this I decided to take a regular 3DS XL, and compare it to the N3DS XL to compare times. Using a 50 mbps internet for both handhelds, it was time to test the download times. The title we used was Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.

The Regular 3DS XL took a rather insane amount of time, clocking in at roughly 33.5 minutes of download time, which left a bit of a pit in the stomach while the eager want to play it was present. This meant that the wait was definitely a rather large one, which lead to a bit of a cringe worthy experience, but something that vastly changed was when it came down to the N3DS XL’s turn to run that same exact download, which clocked in at a much faster ratio. The time to download? 13.28 minutes, which put the console almost a whopping 20.22 minutes faster to complete the same exact download with the same network usage (meaning that the 3DS’s were the only thing online). So where does that lead the favor? Noticeably in the newly launched New Nintendo 3DS XL’s favor and puts the other one at a bit of a weak point.

Battery Life:

There’s nothing really to say here. The battery life is very extensive and allowed for a solid 6 hours of Pokémon Alpha Sapphire to be played (3D on) and a good 5.5 to 6 hours of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate to be played between charges, which means Nintendo has lived up to the extended battery life with all hardware on (this included the 3D, WiFi, sound at full, and even auto-brightness turned on). This is a heavy improvement over the unfortunate 3-5 hours of battery I had experienced with the Nintendo 3DS XL when playing the same games. The charge time, however, was long. I timed it in at almost 4 hours to a full charge from a dead battery (to test the battery, we had to kill it), which left us in our just short of 24 hours having experienced two full battery lifes of the New Nintendo 3DS this far.

We will update this section in the future if this changes. For now, the battery life is spectacular for gamers on the go, something that the PlayStation Vita does need to take a note from.

/-/ The Bad /-/

Fingerprint/Smudge Central:

If you intend on being like many collectors and or gamers out there, there is one thing anyone hates more than having smudges on the screen, which is smudges ALL over that beautiful and glossy plastic. Unfortunately, Nintendo went back to the same route that we saw with the DS Lite’s, which was a glossy material used on the outside of the handheld in order to make it flashy. The downside? This means scratches (eventually), smearing all over the handheld, and even minor mental irritation for those who want to keep their handheld showroom worthy. This means Nintendo faltered a little bit on the outer material design and will hopefully (we can only cross our fingers) will eventually release those ‘crystal’ or even plastic based ‘armours’ that they released for the previous titles.

Analog Stick Annoyances:

If there is anything that should have been upgraded when it came to buttons, it was definitely the analog stick. Unfortunately, there are reports that the slide pad for the analog stick has broke and this can be a problem for those of you who love to slap it in directions in order to smack your foe around in Super Smash Bros. Hopefully Nintendo will alter this in the future and give a true analog stick a change. If the one on the Wii U works, why not implement something like it to the handheld? Till them, players will need to take it easy on their analog sticks and just go easy with them until something else changes in the handheld family of the Nintendo 3DS.

/-/ The Ugly /-/

A Screw…Driver is required?!:

When first migrating over to the New Nintendo 3DS XL, there was a bit of work that had to be done. For those of you who have, are going to, or are intending to buy a New Nintendo 3DS XL, you may want to take a bit of heed when it comes to getting your New Nintendo 3DS XL ready to go so that you may enjoy it to the fullest. First off, you’ll want to head over to IGN’s guide on how to transfer content to the New Nintendo 3DS XL before actually doing this. Why? Because it does require a screw driver, a little bit of tact, and a heck of a lot of patience for those of you who want things done quick.

Why Nintendo did this, was beyond us, but the thing that was good out of it? This means the battery can be replaced if Nintendo were to release replacement batteries to the public, and allow us to even buy new ones on an as-needed basis.

That Same Damn Friend Code System:

With us now being in 2015, there’s no surprise that the friend code system should be long gone and we should be embracing the ways of the Nintendo ID friend system that the Wii U uses. Guess what? Don’t hold your breath just yet, that same damned code system is back, and yes it’s still annoying for those of you who don’t want to be bothered with it. This is part of why this damn annoying ‘system transfer’ is actually required since Nintendo has yet to join the cloud-base friends system that companies like Sony, Microsoft, Blizzard, and many other companies have already been using. Granted Blizzard is a PC and tablet based (only for Hearthstone) company, they still embraced the Battletag and Blizzard ID.

Sadly, I’ve already questioned as to why we are required to do this since they do require a Nintendo Network ID and well – an account to even access things such as the eShop now. So why can’t we do this yet? Your guess is just as good as ours at this time. It’s not surprising that Nintendo has yet to embrace this methodology of system transferring, but it is quite disappointing in this day and age.

Basic Consumers.. Be Warned:

It’s hard not to love Nintendo, but in the recent years, it’s hard not to be a little disappointed due to the lack of support that the Wii U has received, and well the fact that many consider it a commercial failure. Something that the Wii was not until the hype for it died out and everyone had one. This time around? Nintendo has proven, again, that they don’t know how to name, market, or even help get a growing fanbase to need their hardware or software. Unfortunately, the name of the New Nintendo 3DS XL is another shining approach to this. Why couldn’t they just have called it something new, pushed out to a newer audience versus the mainstream 3DS gamer? Well, this is something we will all have to be stumped by until someone gives that answer to us all.

Though there is a few things that will lead to headaches for the consumer whom is searching for these as a gift, which will be problematic one the holiday seasons roll around and gamers start asking for these. So what’s the big deal? Well Nintendo has already started to ostracize those who don’t upgrade to the new hardware soon. This means that those who are casual to the handheld gaming market will begin to slowly get shunned when exclusive titles such as Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+ (out now), Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, the new Fire Emblem Entry (TBA), and many more titles begin to prepare their launch sometime this year. This means those gamers will begin to get left out as the games require higher functioning hardware to operate as well as play properly.

Where’s more of this confusion at? Unfortunately North America has been, more-or-less, in blunt words, been screwed out of the New Nintendo 3DS LL (the smaller model that has an odd name too), which has interchangeable faceplates and would allow for consumers to have their very own and unique look to their handhelds. This also is an issue with the New Nintendo 3DS XL since the handheld only released with two base colour’s out of the shoot: Red and Black. This can be a bit of a mind bender as well since the handhelds, well look almost identical when closed and sitting on a table. It’d take a sharp eye to notice that one is a different handheld than the other, which is dumbfounding.

The worst parts? We don’t know to what extent that Nintendo is going to oust the old handheld and go in with the new one. One thing is clear of this though, it may be fast since companies such as GameStop are pushing with their 100 USD buy back on used 3DS XL’s towards the purchase of a N3DS XL. This means we have no clue, but GameStop as a company might if the sales say anything about the N3DS. Several trips to stores such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Hastings (for those of you in the Midwest), and Target proved that the handheld sold fast, which means inventory levels were either low or not even enough to keep up with supply and demand.

The last of the worst parts? The handheld does not come with a charger, which puts people who want one as a new user will need one and those who have one will need to hang onto theirs if they don’t have a spare, which makes trading in their old hand-helds not an option. Luckily, for new consumers the chargers seem to be staying at affordable prices in the used market, but even the new market at this time. Sadly, these can be sparse at stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and even GameStop. Consumers, do note that the handheld comes with a 4GB memory card and will require one of two things. A bigger memory card (Micro-SDHC only) and a PC (if you are migrating) or simply just a lot of patience. The recommendation here? Chuck out the extra 20-60 bucks and grab a decent 32gb memory card and have at it!

/-/ Closing Thoughts /-/

This is where I’d like to take a moment and go into a spew of information as well as personal thoughts. The N3DS XL is a nice upgrade, one that has left me satisfied with my purchase, and left me handing over my old one to my dad for his upcoming 56th birthday in the upcoming days (surprise happy birthday chief!). This also has left me with an overall satisfaction with buying it even though I’ve found a few things that fill in the portions of the review you’ve read up to this point. The New Nintendo 3DS XL is a noticeable improvement over its predecessors and does a good job at making that known thanks to the new hardware Nintendo has put into it despite the few things that became minor irritations.

Even with titles such as Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+, amiibo functionality, Super Smash Bros., The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, as well as Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate being the main draws to the handheld, this isn’t a huge and transformative jump that Nintendo needed in order to bring in new fans. Instead the handheld has already shown a few weaknesses in games such as The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask with its small frame-rate dips that occurred within just the first few minutes of playing it, but also the lack of consumer friendliness. Overall, Nintendo has strived hard to make up for what hole that the Circle Pad Pro left in our need as gamers, but still finds itself stumbling until more games come out, and those games will need to be rather exclusive to it.

Though it is hard to say that the New Nintendo 3DS XL isn’t an upgrade, the step feels like a half step in the right direction, and one that Nintendo needs to keep doing so that they can focus on this family of handhelds, and possibly even work on the Wii U in the process. Now only if they could do that with marketing this handheld as well as the Wii U in both commercials, flyers and sales ads.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Disclosure Statement: The hardware, games, and equipment used as well as tested on were purchased by Blast Away the Game Review’s reviewers discretion and were not provided to us by Nintendo or the publishers. The review was done at our own discretion and team discussion. You can read our team ethics and policy guide to find out more information.

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The Legends of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D Has New Nintendo 3DS XL Features

February 12, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

“Dawn of the First Day. 72 Hours Remain.” Can be recognized as some of the most famous words in The Legends of Zelda franchise. Why? It’s what marks the first day in the most challenging experience Link will find himself facing as a moon is headed to crash into Hyrule. It also has become a trademark saying with the preparation of The Legends of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, which is set to launch tonight at midnight across North America. Launching officially on February 13th, fans can obtain both the game as well as the New Nintendo 3DS XL systems to find themselves experiencing the smoothest and most engrossing gaming experience to enter Nintendo history since Ocarina of Time.

According to Nintendo, players who purchase the game and play it on the New Nintendo 3DS XL will get to experience some exclusive features that will not be available outside of this handheld. The game will get to experience the game through camera moving with the newly added C Stick while also experiencing the game with Nintendo’s newly implemented face-tracking 3D technology that the new model of 3DS family will utilize. This will allow fans to experience the game in its most sincere 3D experience ever.

“There’s a reason The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is consistently mentioned as a favorite entry in The Legend of Zelda series by many,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With the launch of this new enhanced version and New Nintendo 3DS XL on the same day, a whole new generation of fans can experience the fantastic adventure for the first time on an equally fantastic portable system.”

For those who have never experienced one of the greatest games from The Legends of Zelda franchise, the game will take place over the span of three days, which will allow fans to attempt saving the world of Termina from that devious and terrifying moon as it approaches the planet with each tick of a clock. As link races against the clock and works to manipulate time itself so that he can solve puzzles, collect treasures, fight down powerful foes, and slay powerful bosses within 72 hours. So, how does our little pointy eared friend do it? Using songs that he performs on his Ocarina.

Will you have what it takes to track events through Bomber’s Notebook, use more than 20 unique masks, and help save Termina with the assistance such as the Deku, Goron, and even the Zora masks? Find out tomorrow exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS family.

Both The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D game and the New Nintendo 3DS XL system will launch on Feb. 13 at suggested retail prices of $39.99 and $199.99, respectively. The game can also be played on Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL and Nintendo 2DS systems.

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Capcom Announces Their Fastest Selling Digital Title

February 9, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

Were you one that grabbed the remake of the survival horror masterpiece known as Resident Evil? If so you can rejoice in sharing in one of Capcom’s greatest moments in digital distribution. As of today, Capcom has announced that Resident Evil has become it’s largest sold digital title as a day one digital title via the PlayStation Network.

According to Yoshiaki Hirabyashi, Capcom’s Producer of the title, “It’s been great to see so many positive comments from fans that have enjoyed this new release. The team here at Capcom Japan have worked hard to bring the game to the latest generation of consoles and we are thrilled at this news on its performance.”

Originally launched for the PlayStation in 1996, Resident Evil has resided as one of the largest and most critically acclaimed titles in the industry. Holding onto that spot, Resident Evil was ‘remade’ in 2002 where it saw a new launch in the Nintendo GameCube and once more recaptured favoritism among fans and critics alike. In turn, the game once more now sees itself remastered to include new visuals, sounds, the new “Very Easy Mode”, as well as options for control and the games on-screen aspect ratio. The title can be purchased on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Steam for PC for 19.99 USD. At times there is no word if the title will release for the Nintendo family of consoles. Stay tuned for our upcoming review.

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Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Set to Launch in North America

February 5, 2015 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Written by Dustin Murphy

Are you a fan of going into a fight with some of the most entertaining and fan-favorited characters from the Japanese novels published under the label of Dengeki Bunko? Well Sega has announced that your chance to put your imagination to rest is almost here as the game seeks to launch digitally for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita this year – exclusively for these two that is. The launch of this game will boast with a vast array of some of the industries most favored characters as they seek to take each other on in a classic side-scrolling fight to the end.

The game will feature players utilizing the games Climax Meter in order to break eachothers health bars by executing move which will recreate highlight scenes from the original titles they were from while players attack, guard, and even take damage to build up this meter once more while in combat. While fighting, fans will be able to enjoy the games SEGA characters, but also some of the fan-favorite Sega-themed environments once the game launches this year.

“With controls skillfully adapted to fit each playable character, Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax is simultaneously easy to learn and a challenge to master. We are excited to work with Ecole and French Bread to bring this beautiful high-action game to the West,” said John Cheng, President and COO, SEGA of America.

With those words, it’ll be hard for any fan of Sega and the Dengeki Bunko brand not to be excited for this title when it launches later this year. So stay tuned and keep your eyes open as we look to bring forth more information regarding the title when it launches. If you’d like to see the launch of this title when it launches, let us know in the comments, and we will work on getting it out to you.

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Blast Away The Game Review

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