New Horror Game will go offline forever when all of its players die.

PREVIEW

New indie horror game The Flock, developed by Dutch studio Vogelsap has an extremely unique and eerie twist to it.

If you haven't heard about The Flock before now, it is a first person "asymmetrical" multiplayer game, and as it is one of these new indie horror games, it looks bloody horrid.
Its set on a post post post apocalyptic earth, where all of our disgusting pollution has blocked out the sun, causing all of us humans to be long gone.
You as the player take control of a new kind of creature, part of a new breed known as The Flock.
Now as i'm sure you have guessed there are some even newer and scarier monsters called carriers which would love nothing more than to make the game unplayable for everyone.

Now to make the game even more creepy, once the in game population (unsure about the full details of how this works) reaches 0, nobody will ever be able to purchase the game.
Oh but it doesn't end there. All of the people who own the game up to this point can play in the exclusive cinematic finale, before the game is shut down forever.

This is such a new and ambitious idea, I am really on board for this and even though I will probably be an early contribution to the wipe out of the in game population, I would love to experience this.

Take a look at the Closed Alpha trailer here: -

"You will be a God Among Men" - Harlan Wade (F.E.A.R)



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Dead Island 2 really is "Dead"

So Dead Island 2, the REAL sequel to the love or hate zombie mauling RPG has lost its developer. 

Supposedly being released this year (actually about 3 months ago) and then being delayed until TBA 2016, Dead Island 2 could be nothing more than brain food for much longer than we thought.

Yager, the team behind Spec Ops the Line were in charge of developing this sequel, and the live action trailer with some nice gameplay demos, made the game look really quite promising.

It had everything the first game should have had, and that was comedy and style. Also going up against Dying Light, it was important that it showed some distinguishable differences in the kind of game it was, which couldn't have been easy, considering Dying Light was pretty much a spiritual successor to Dead Island anyway.

SO the bottom line is, Yager are no longer developing Dead Island 2, which means the game is condemned to the pits of development hell. But hey you never know, maybe Gearbox will take it under their wings just like they did with Duke Nukem and Aliens, because they were unfortunately gracefully saved from similar problems.

What do you think about this news?
Were you looking forward to littering the sunny suburbs of California with buckets of brains, bones and blood? Or could you not care less, because lets face it, Dying Light was good enough.


 I'm shouting because this fucked up infected motherfucker with guts hanging out of his mouth just spit a bunch of toxic snot at me! - Kyle Crane (Dying Light)

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Minecraft Story Mode.. Yes this is unfortunately real

PREVIEW

So before I even start discussing what has recently emerged from Minecon 2015, let me just say that I really dislike Minecraft down to my personal taste in games. I can see why people like it, but I personally dont get it, and I really have tried.

Now that I have got that off of my chest, let me tell you what I think of something in particular that was shown at the minecraft dedicated convention, which I didn't even know was a thing, until very recently.
In case you haven't guessed already, it is regarding the new Telltale game based on the hugely narrative driven world of Minecraft.
Yep.
Telltale games who pride themselves on their hugely tense and dramatic choice driven games are now creating an episodic game about minecraft.

When I first heard about this, I didnt really care for it, or pay any attention to it at all. That was until I saw the absolutely horrific trailer showcasing the game in all of its glory.

Now here is my problem with this idea, and one reason why I think that it is going to be an absolute car crash.
All episoidic games are driven by tension.


Whether it be the telltale games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, Game of Thrones), or even Resident Evil Revelations 2.
All of these games are popular as they share the same format as a TV Series, not only in terms of the episodes, but also because of those rage inducing cliff hangers and favourite character deaths (I'm looking at you Walking Dead and Game of Thrones), which are perfectly delivered because of the wait in between episodes.

This cannot be real. Please.

What I am getting at is, HOW is a game based on Minecraft going to create the same tension that will be benefited by being split up by episodes? I simply cannot see a game set in this type of world, with these types of characters creating a narrative that will pull me in, and make me want to play on after each episode.


Sure you can say "But it will be fun, the characters will be cute, games dont have to be narrative driven blahblah", all of that is completely right, BUT, we are talking about a solely narrative driven game here. Telltale do not offer fun and cute gameplay, they offer games where you must make huge story changing choices and deal with the consequences of everything you choose to do.


"Do you choose to take the pick-axe and mine eastwards away from the creepers, or take the sword and fight them - eventhough this is a family friendly world so both choices will probably have the same outcome, which one hmm?". No! There is just no way that this will work.


The whole choice system replacing any real gameplay will be too boring for kids, and the story and lack of tension will be too boring for adults.

Obviously I could be absolutely wrong (I wont be), but hey - watch the trailer for yourself and just look at how laughably bad it looks.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 - Episode 2 review

Callum Munro

(I try my hardest not to spoil any major parts of the plot) 

My reviews are split into 3 sections that are rated out of 10, CONCEPT (The aim/idea/plot of the game), VISUALS (What the game looks like), GAMEPLAY (How the game plays and how fun it is).

Concept/Story

Episode 2 starts with Claire and Moira meeting up with their fellow TerraSave team, to find out that they have been captured too, and are branded with the same demise as your protagonists.

Obviously nothing stays rosy and most of them end up mutating into monsters, leaving just Neil, who seems to be one of the more important members.

You are soon split up from Neil, and then forced to carry on without him, heading towards a strange tower where our eerie villain supposedly resides. 

Barry and Natalia's side follows them basically revisiting where you have already been with Claire and Moira, exploring the island a bit more, and trying to find out what has happened to Moira. 

At the end of the episode you find out who the evil woman who is behind everything is, and it leaves the episode on an excellently tense cliffhanger.

The story of the second episode feels much like a plot filler, introducing us to obviously later important characters and allowing us to find out more about who are villain is. This is obviously important at setting up the rest of the story, but obviously suffers in linearity and excitement.

Episode 2 carries on the story nicely and ends with a lovely cliffhanger, even if it does feel slightly lifeless and like a plot filler through the majority of the episode.

CONCEPT/STORY - 6.5

Visuals

Obviously graphically episode 2 is the same game, however the problem I had with it in the first episode was the dull environments and bland enemies.

In episode 2, the environments do not get any better. You are still filled with the same non atmospheric locations such as a small run down village and recycled street sections. 

If it wasn't bad enough having to trudge through these lifeless places, you have to basically mirror your exact route for a second time when playing as Barry and Natalia. 

Enemies although still bland are now slightly more varied in type and there are a couple of boss fights to add some much needed creativity. 

Stiff and boring environments is till an issue in this episode, and can only offer a small variation on enemy types. The visuals are just simply not up to scratch with games of 2015 and it is a shame. 

 VISUALS - 4.5

Gameplay

Episode 2 is much more harsh than episode 1 in so many ways, due to scarce ammo, barely any herbs and intense pace.

There are much more enemies present during this episode, including some new tougher enemies. This along with a huge lack of pickups makes for a much faster and harder episode.

Moira becomes much more useless and was used in my playthrough to simply gather any items she could find, whilst I desperately try and make do with the very small amount of ammunition I had, however this just adds to the harshness of the episode and makes for some very exciting moments.

On the contrary, Natalia actually becomes much more useful as a new enemy type is introduced that is invisible unless she is pointing at it. She even tells Barry to shoot more to the left or right if needed, which is a nice addition.

Unforgiving pace and a slight sense of survival horror makes Episode 2's gameplay actually really enjoyable and rewarding. Puzzles seem to be missing again, but a couple of hectic boss battles and a small gauntlet section keeps the resident evil vibe there.  

 GAMEPLAY - 8

Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 2 does nothing but improve on the first episode in every way, but still suffers from the same obvious issues.

God of war. I haven't forgotten you. For what you did that night, this city will be your grave - Kratos

Bethesda and Machine Games announces Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Callum Munro

So today just got much more exciting.
Well for me anyway.

Bethesda have today revealed a standalone prequel to Wolfenstein: the New Order, called The Old Blood. From what I know, it is released May 5th, and there is a big gameplay reveal at PAX in a couple of days.

I for one am hugely excited for this, as Wolfenstein was easily GOTY 2014 for me and to see that there is a standalone prequel coming means that I can delve back into the wonderfully gorgeous and brilliantly fun world of it once more.

It is supposedly priced at $20, so will most likely be £15.99 over here in the UK, but we will see.

Here's the announcement trailer, enjoy: 

Also look out for my Resident Evil: Revelations 2 episode 2 review. I played and finished the it today so expect it shortly.

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Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1 - Review

Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1

Callum Munro

(I try my hardest not to spoil any major parts of the plot) 

My reviews are split into 4 sections that are rated out of 10, CONCEPT (The aim/idea/plot of the game), VISUALS (What the game looks like), GAMEPLAY (How the game plays and how fun it is).

Concept/Story

Resident Evil Revelations 2 sees the return of iconic Resident Evil characters Claire Redfield and Barry Burton, along with a couple of new characters. 

The story, from what I got from the first episode, see's Claire get captured and imprisoned on a desolate island filled with creepy corridors, dark forests and of course zombies that have a tendency to jump through windows at unsuspecting moments.

She is also accompanied by a not so helpful companion, Moira Burton who has some pretty obvious Daddy issues - with the Daddy being Barry. 

The story doesn't only follow Claire and Moira trying to escape the island, but also follows a slightly older Barry Burton and a slightly newer (and younger) Natalia.

Barry is playing the role of worried Dad when he discovers Moira is trapped on the island, so he arrives promptly on the island armed to the teeth, looking to save her. 

Claire is no longer a STARS operative, and she isn't part of the BSAA. Nope, she is part of Terra Save now, a new and eerily cheesy organisation who are tasked with saving the world from bio terrorism. 

Story wise Revelations 2, thus far is nothing special, but when is Resident Evil well known for its story lines as of late? It is however good fun, and the script actually makes the story much more enjoyable down to its surprisingly dark humour, with a surprise "Sandwich" reference, which I will not ruin, but did have me squealing like a little fan girl when I heard it.

Also I surprisingly enjoyed the fact that the game has taken on an episodic format, because it means that the story can at least get a little amount of excitement with the cliffhangers, and "Next Time" segments that come with the episodic style.
Raid mode is a nice addition, especially as each episode will only be a couple of hours in length each, which means whilst waiting for the next episode you have something to grind through. 

Revelations 2 has a typical mediocre storyline with so so new characters, but is good fun to play with a surprisingly good script and an episodic structure that paces the game nicely. 

CONCEPT/STORY - 6.5

Visuals

Although Revelations 2 doesn't suffer from any graphical issues due to being a handheld port unlike its predecessor, it still suffers from extremely bland enemies, recycled environments and dated visuals.

Throughout the episode I found myself coming up against the exact same generic enemies in the same uninspiring environments. 

Each corridor in the prison seems the same, and there is not much detail at all in any of the locations, which is a real shame, and affects the ambiance greatly. 

The overall visuals to the game are not up to scratch to other games in its genre like Evil Within and even Resident Evil 6 which both surpass it visually. I wasn't expecting stand out graphics in the game, and it isn't a huge issue that a game like this doesn't have good visuals, however it could at least be as good as Resi 6. 

Visually Revelations 2 is dull and nothing new. Its a shame that a franchise that normally draws its atmosphere from creepy environments and imaginative enemies, suffers in exactly those respects.

 VISUALS - 4.5 

Gameplay

Similarly to the other recent entries in the franchise, Revelations 2 definitely falls under the genre of Action, rather than survival horror. Puzzles are absent and backtracking is very scarce, adding an unwelcome level of linearity that Resident Evil 5 and 6 also suffered badly from. 

Co op is great. Whether you are playing as the partnership of Claire and Moira or Barry and Natalia, there is a large degree of team work, cleverly designed around the different skills of the characters. 

For example Claire is armed with a couple of guns which are found through the level, but very early on, whereas Moira is armed with a crowbar and a flashlight. The contrast is brilliant because whilst Moira cannot shoot enemies, she can stun them with her flashlight or crowbar, whilst Claire can shoot them. 

Its a very similar story with Barry and Natalia, Natalia can sneak round enemies and point them out for Barry, whilst Barry is the one man army who's skills do not need explaining.

The only downside is that, unless you are playing on hard, the game is too easy in most parts, so the teamwork isn't really necessary in most places and can actually feel like you are doing it just because you can, which sort of makes the combat feel chore-ish at times. 

Raid Mode is basically a clear the area of enemies and move on, and from what I have played each mission is played in areas from Resident Evil 6, which is random, but fine nonetheless.

Raid Mode has a surprisingly large and in depth customization system, which along with a perfectionistic medal system on each mission and an addicting leveling up grinding system makes for an excellent and welcome addition to the game which can be enjoyed solo or cooperatively.

 Revelations 2 sticks to the action formula rather than the survival horror, just like it has over recent years. It has great coop play and some interesting team work ideas, but the game is very linear and along with the very bland visuals, levels feel uninteresting. 

Luckily raid mode is there after you finish the episode, and it is full to the brim with great customization and some addicting grinding. 

 GAMEPLAY - 7

Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1 is let down by a massive lack of imagination, however has great coop, raid mode is awesome and the episodic route allows the story to pick up some well needed tension. 

"You were almost a Jill Sandwich!" - Baryy Burton (Resident Evil)

The Order 1886 - Review

The Order 1886

Callum Munro

(I try my hardest not to spoil any major parts of the plot) 

My reviews are split into 4 sections that are rated out of 10, CONCEPT (The aim/idea/plot of the game), VISUALS (What the game looks like), GAMEPLAY (How the game plays and how fun it is), SOUND (The sound, funnily enough) and then given a final score out of 10.0 .

Concept/Story

The Order 1886 is set in an alternative take on late 1800's London, and follows the story of the ancient order of Knights sworn to protect the world from Half Breeds, which are half man and half animal. The order was created by King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and centuries later, it is still running thanks to a mystical elixir known as Blackwater. 

The player takes control of Grayson, also known by Galahad, as he and his fellow knights must discover the truth behind a sudden uprising of rebels and a massive increase in half breed attacks.

It is a story of betrayal and honour, and is excellently told due to its wonderfully developed characters and near flawless script.

Playing through the story you will be heavily involved with historical figures, such as Jack the Ripper and Nikola Tesla. Tesla acts as a friend to the order, supplying them with advanced weaponry and gadgets, and actually serving an important part to the story later on in the game. Jack the Ripper also gets much more focus towards the end of the game, and adds an interesting twist to the plot.

Although the wonderfully atmospheric setting, believable characters and a carefully crafted script allow the story to shine, it is let down due to some serious pacing issues and an extremely abrupt end.

The game took me around 9 hours to finish and that is it, there is no other game modes to play, and no real reason to re play the single player again. 

In terms of its plot and setting, The Order is brilliantly told with some genuinely interesting characters and dialogue, alongside a compelling and satisfying take on English historical fiction.
Although the story is engaging and well written, it is let down by some fairly sluggish pacing, an ending that comes far too quickly and a lack of content.

CONCEPT/STORY - 7

Visuals

The Order 1886 is undoubtedly, the best looking and most well polished game I have ever had the pleasure to look at. 

Animations always look realistic and responsive, lighting is perfect and adds real atmosphere to the environments and the steampunk London setting looks almost real.

The emotion in the characters that these visuals make possible, add that extra level of plausibility to each and every scene.

I simply cannot fault the visuals in any way, every single thing that is done in this game, be it a cutscene or gameplay looks real and helps the player really believe in the character's emotions, like it was a film or a tv series. You really cannot put into words how flawlessly polished the world of this game is, you can only see for yourself when playing the game. 

VISUALS - 10

Gameplay 
Unfortunately for me, this is where The Order really falls short. 

In the 9 hours I played I was either walking around a (beautifully polished) are not really being allowed to do anything, engaging in generic cover shooting sequences with 3 enemy types, watching cutscenes or taking part in mostly pointless QTE's that often interrupt the scarce gameplay moments. 

This may sound harsh, so allow me to expand on what I just said.

Firstly the gameplay is also affected by the sluggish pacing of the story, in the first 2/3 of the game, gameplay is simply scarce. It is not often you get to control the player for more that 3 - 4 minutes without being interrupted by either a pointless 30 second cutscene or a normal story related cutscene.

In the last stretch of the game, you get to take part in some pretty fun gameplay sections and set pieces, but it is simply too late and not long enough. 

There are only two types of gameplay in this game, one being walking around searching for something, and shooting generic enemies until it is safe to progress. 

The search sequences have you walking, very slowly around claustrophobic feeling environments trying to find something. The reason the environments feel claustrophobic is simply because there is almost no interaction that the player has with it, it looks great, but you just cannot do anything with it.

The shooting sequences are generic cover based moments, again the game just doesn't offer anything different in this respect.

You simply sit comfortably behind cover, pop up to shoot enemies, and then rinse and repeat. There is just no changes to the already formulaic gameplay. 

However that being said, the guns are awesome, and feel great to use. Also along with the visuals, kills are very satisfying. 

One gameplay element to the game that is actually really good are the fights with the Lycans (Werewolves). These parts are very fast paced, and actually frustratingly difficult at times.

The only problem with this, is there are simply not enough of these moments in the game, which is a shame because this actually added something different and fun to the gameplay. 

The constant interruption of gameplay coming from cutscenes and QTE's really disrupt the immersion that the player has in the game. The gameplay also offers the player absolutely no freedom, with no exploration and no sense of progress as most progression is portrayed in cutscenes or boring quick time events. 

There are some fun moments in some of the shootouts,  and also some brilliant boss QTE's, however it is mostly generic action set pieces which is not bad, but not anything special either.

GAMEPLAY - 5.5

Audio

Similarly to the visual feats, the audio adds to the technical achievements that this game has achieved.

Voice acting is phenomenal, and along with the excellently written script it just adds that extra something to the game and its story. 

Gun sounds are great, and the music is epic and fits in perfectly with the given moments.

The incredible voice acting performances and fitting music, just shows how technically perfect this game is.

AUDIO - 10

The Order 1886 truly is a magnificent technical achievement with totally unmatched visuals and truly epic scripting which I actually thoroughly enjoyed playing, unfortunately it is let down by a far too much reliance on cutscenes and unimaginative gameplay.

Well, I probably wouldn't be 2 feet tall, fuzzy, and running in a sewer without any pants... God, I miss pants. - Daxter Jak II