Author: Tory S.

Two weeks since the release of No Man’s Sky, and most of those 18 quintillion planets are still out there, just waiting to be named ‘Butts’. I’ve been playing the game since its release, and I thought I’d take a look back over my time with it so far. When the game came out I actually thought it was pretty neat. Exploring my first planet was awesome! If you’re curious, it’s in the ‘Errahtun’ system, planet ‘Varung’ (I was convinced to not name anything childishly, and try and stick to the Sci-Fi genre. I’m cool, right?). I found some awesome…

The 22nd Electronic Arts Exhibition, or E3 2016, took place on June 14-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  As the major consoles, Xbox, PlayStation and Wii are well into their eighth generation or so, the main focuses of the conference were new software titles, new hardware revisions and virtual reality. Virtual reality has been a dream chased by many for the last 65 years, since 1950 when Morton Hellig wrote of an “Experience Theatre” which would encompass the senses and allow a viewer to interact with the onscreen activity.  Since then, many have spent millions to make virtual reality…

With a large amount of PS VR titles already announced, it’s time to take a look at 4 games which you might have missed. Let’s begin. Dead Secret Dead Secret is a tense, story focused, mystery thriller, set in rural Kansas in the year 1965. A reclusive professor has been found dead, and it’s up to you, the player, to uncover the truth, find the killer and avoid their hand as they hunt you down. The player is tasked with finding items, solving puzzles and collecting enough evidence to expose the murderer’s true identity. While doing so, you’ll also utilize…

Ubisoft have officially confirmed that Watch Dogs 2 will be revealed at their E3 panel, on Monday the 13th. Meaning that Ubisoft have announced an announcement, which is kind of weird – but anyhoo, Watch Dogs 2! Time to get excited, right? Well, maybe, let’s be honest the first one was kind of a let down. Released back in 2014, critically it didn’t do bad at all, receiving relatively strong scores among journalists, selling around nine million copies and even breaking the record for the biggest first day sales in Ubisoft history. But many players weren’t afford to share their grumbles,…

Warning: Spoilers Below! In an interview with Glixel, ‘Rolling Stone’s new video game focused magazine, Uncharted 4’s Creative Director, Neil Druckmann, explained that things don’t always go smoothly behind the scenes. Once again, SPOILERS BELOW – you have been warned! Working as a Focus Tester for Naughty Dog, at their Californian studio, during the development of Uncharted 4, would seem like a lot of people’s dream job! However, a currently unnamed individual was eventually asked to leave after making comments about some concepts of Uncharted 4, that Naughty Dog and the team viewed as sexist. This individual became so aggravated…

The notion that gaming is an activity for male gamers has proven wrong with recent research. Female gamers have the ability to connect to a variety of services and technology that wasn’t around 10 years ago – and it’s probably this very reason as to why these statistics have balanced out. The statistics can be seen here. You’ll need to locate the console gaming research statistics to pin point what I’m referring to. Brain Teasers are Popular It might not surprise you that brain teasers are among the games women play and enjoy. Crosswords, Sudoku, puzzle games, and solo trivia…

Disney Branding With the new acquisition of the Star Wars IP by Disney was a huge change in the legacy that is Star Wars. Electronic Arts (EA), the largest publisher in this galaxy and even far away ones acquired the rights in May 2013 to create Star Wars games. This was a deal comparable to the actual Disney deal in my opinion. While it may make some nervous given the reputation of EA, with Disney holding the IP dear to its heart, I don’t see it having its reputation of this giant ruined by the release of half-finished and shoddy…

Rugby 15 marks another in a long line of Ruby Union titles developed by HB Studios, a group known for turning out lots of great sports-themed titles.   First off, this game has received a lot of bad press and negative reviews.   The real question is whether or not Rugby 15 really deserves all the hate and/or if it actually manages to service (or disservice) the sport itself. Read on to find out… For starters, anyone that’s into sports with a somewhat limited or regional appeal, like rugby or cricket are probably not surprised by less-than-stellar visuals or weirdly adapted gameplay.  …

Perhaps in an effort to recapture the magic of the older games in the series or maybe in the hopes of mutating things in a different direct while maintaining the same basic course, Resident Evil Revelations 2 has arrived.   Right off the bat, the first thing many will realize is the fact this game is being doled out in installments.   Given the incredible cult popularity of emergent series like “The Walking Dead” or other similar dramatically driven episodic survival horror, it seems likely that the RE developers are trying to cash in on the phenomenon.   However, rather than looking at…

In my humble opinion, Battlefield 1942 was one of the best World War II games ever made. That game had everything: flyable planes, tanks, jeeps and even operational battleships. It was an entertaining game that offered thrilling combat such as going toe to toe with an enemy tank and trying to take out the exposed gunner while running from cover to cover. That was ages ago, and most people hardly remember that 1942 is where Battlefield got its start. Jumping forward a bit, Call of Duty World at War (WaW) was another amazing WWII shooter. Call of Duty had already…

Without wasting more of your time explaining why March, 2015 is set to be a nice bed for new PlayStation 4 releases, we’ll just provide a run-down on each title (as they are currently / tentatively allotted to be released in chronological order)… White Night OSome Studio is bringing us a noir-thriller that’s steeped in a survival horror mythos, and its setting just seems to ooze style.   Aside from the obvious departure in terms of the use of stark, yet sharp black and white graphics, White Night also features some great voice acting, music and sound design.   Definitely a title…

Part of what makes modern gaming so rewarding is the way various games affect your senses, obviously.   While many of us certainly appreciate what a large HD screen and crisp, detailed graphics offer, the other part of the equation – audio, is sometimes downplayed or even ignored.   In short, if you really want to take your gaming to the next level, you need to improve your sound reinforcement setup.   Likewise, we often forget about how much more intimate playing with headphones makes things, and in some games sound alone can suck you in and transport you to other words.   If…

Say what you will about modern video game development and the resulting trends and expectations of the average consumer, but one thing is certain – there’s clearly something wrong with the system. All the bad press that The Order: 1886 has received upon release should be pretty eye-opening in fact, especially considering that it is by all accounts, a pretty well-constructed and functioning piece of interactive media. In the spirit of fairness, let’s examine the pros of this fine title along with any supposed cons, shall we? First off, let’s get one thing straight – this is definitely a fully-loaded…

Bursting out onto the scene suddenly, seemingly coming out of left field to delight lovers of gruesome survival horror carnage, Dying Light seems like it is destined to be a big hit. The game itself was spearheaded into development in 2012, and in just a few short years later, here we stand, looking at a fully thought-out open world title for current gen systems.   Quite obviously it would be impossible (or perhaps just irresponsible) to talk about this game without first mentioning that it bears a striking resemblance to one of developer Techland’s other creations – Dead Island. Rest assured…

Fans of exciting and novel multiplayer gaming have been itching to get their hands on Turtle Rock Studios’ “Evolve”, a game that merges several neat concepts together with stunning visuals.   Although it has only been out (officially) for a day (as of the time of this writing) it is already garnering some attention and high marks from both gamers as well as critics. Let’s dive in and see what makes this game tick… Now, before we go any further you should probably know that this is the team that brought us Left 4 Dead as well as add-on content for…

Even though the experts predicted that console gaming was a thing of the past, instead extoling PC as the end all final avenue, Sony’s PlayStation 4 stands out as a glaring exception. Now, don’t get it all wrong here, PC gaming is certainly hip and full of its own treasures, but credence must also be given to the console crowd too.   In fact, it has been said many times that the PS4 seems poised to overtake many of the leading historical consoles as well, perhaps even soon gaining enough momentum to overtake the mighty PS2 (which still claims the top…

Dontnod Entertainment’s Life is Strange is one of those games that places incredible focus on the dramatic elements of unfolding sequences of events. Part of a new episodic series, this IP manages to create a very homey sense of atmosphere that’s wrapped up in teenage angst with dashes of mystery and perhaps even Sci-Fi. Once an often overlooked area of video gaming (mostly relegated to the old-school PC point-and-click adventure crowd), narrative-driven games are becoming more and more popular. Peeling back the veneer on this one, we find a strong undertone running throughout which seems to be ever-present to the…

The classic board game, Risk should certainly require no introduction. Without a doubt, more than a few gamers out there have already had their run-in with it, especially if they’re old-school veterans. Basically, it is about world domination, where chance and luck guide you through to either stunning victories against your opponents or crippling defeat. However, in this new Hasbro release we find all of the classic plastic pieces being replaced by digitally slick models and the paper components exchanged for evocative environments.   In short, if you want to play Risk and have a PlayStation 4, you’re in luck… Perhaps…

One of the best things about Sony’s PlayStation 4 is that it offers much more of an open platform for users in terms of its range of usable hardware. Whereas many consoles of the past stuck with singular, one-off designs, we find the PS4 able to accept typical USB and Bluetooth Mice and Keyboards.   Sure, 7th generation systems were also tuned into this but now it’s pretty much set in stone, with implications that Sony is dedicated to removing limits and useless blockades. You’ll also find that certain games are better suited towards a mouse, take for example Tropico 5.…

Obviously, every time we see Ubisoft starting to roll out a new Tom Clancy game there is cause for hopeful anticipation.   One of the most anticipated additions to come along from that particular crowd, The Division, has already made waves in conventions such as E3, where its demo caused quite a stir among gamers and critics alike. Essentially, it puts yet another, perhaps more realistic spin on the ever-present apocalypse-driven themes which everyone should be pretty familiar with at this point.   The main opposition within the game itself is domestic in nature, sort of painting members of the “Strategic Homeland…