The Walking Dead - Season One Now Available For Xbox One

With Halloween looming over us, Telltale's iconic first season adaptation rises from the grave to make the leap to next gen and grace the screens of the Xbox One.

For any who missed season one's first circulation of XBLA, the five part episodic saga follows convicted felon Lee Everett as he struggles to survive through a grim post-apocalyptic walker infected world with a band of misfit survivors and his innocent daughter figure - Clementine. The series, both critically acclaimed and publically well received, won over 80 game of the year awards and is praised for its bleak emotional tone and peerless storytelling.

The Xbox One edition will set you back £19.99/$24.99 (US) and 4.65 GB for the entire series, and for newcomers to the franchised simply cannot be overlooked. As an extra bonus, if like myself you were eager to transition to next gen, you may have missed the opportunity to experience the second series, in which a more mature Clementine steps into the limelight. You will therefore be pleased to hear that it looks as though series 2 will also be making the journey to Xbox One as well as a third season being announced for future release.    

State of Decay Sells 2 Million Copies!

Congratulations are in order for the zombie developers, Undead Labs, for managing to shift a colossal 2 million copies of their zombie survival simulator, State of Decay. An impressive feat in itself, Undead Labs deserve a special pat on the back when Community Manager Sanya Weathers revealed that the 2 million copies of the game – excluding DLC – were sold with no marketing whatsoever.

 

A seemingly impossible achievement, Weathers states “No marketing, no advertising, just you playing and streaming and spreading the word. You made this happen, and if we could individually thank each person who hit that download button, we would. Your enthusiasm and support have been everything. Thank you.”

She goes on to say “When we hit five hundred thousand copies sold (which was pretty remarkable for a zombie apocalypse simulator with a persistent world and permadeath), we celebrated by starting work on Breakdown. When we hit a million, we gave away some freebies. Two million calls for a hell of a celebration.”

Any gamers who purchased one of the 2 million copies via Xbox Live Arcade or Steam, need to follow the Developers on Twitter at @undeadlabs to not miss any goodies. Amongst which will be reward to players who participate in their #2MMinutes campaign, a compilation of State of Decay gameplay streamed in October by you, the players, making up 2 million minutes of footage.

State of Decay’s Xbox One debut will transpire sometime in 2015 as the Year-One Survival addition, consisting of the original game re-mastered in 1080p, both Breakdown and Lifeline add-ons, and some juicy new content.

Destiny Review

You can get by with a little help from your friends.

 

Bungie’s highly anticipated FPS MMORPG extravaganza is by all accounts a multiplayer experience. There is of course a single player narrative to follow and no obligation whatsoever to even interact with players, however doing so would be depriving yourself of one of the game’s biggest features and Destiny’s greatest asset.

Entirely online, it is impossible to truly feel alone as you’ll come across fellow players all across space, excluding mission areas designed to be traffic-free. Even within the tower, civilisations last cultural hub/equipment supermarket/dance-off arena, you can’t help but notice the buzz of players going about their Guardian shenanigans.

For the socialites, all missions can be embarked with a Fireteam of up to 3 players, cranking up the difficulty and allowing players to revive one another in darkness zones. That being said, even if you don’t have a tightknit Fireteam with your own passwords and secret handshakes, multiplayer is an absolute must to fully experience what destiny has to offer.

If you play without your own band of buddies backing you up, it’s ok. The Guardians are all working together for the greater good but are by nature solo adventurers. Each are individuals with their own race, class and motives, so it’s only natural that when cooperating on strikes some players back up their fellow guardians and put the team first, whilst others chase their own individual goals. Participating in strikes independently will pit you and two other randomly selected guardians through a level of enemies, culminating in a challenging boss fight with respectable loot to claim upon completion.

PvP is introduced via the Crucible – an arena style “training area” – where players choose from 4 classic game types. Players are levelled to match each other regardless of experience, however there is still an aspect of unbalance. As players use their own equipment, higher level player will have significantly better weapons. The Crucible also favours fully automatic weapons due to the fast paced chaos and less on single fire, precision weapons such as scout and sniper rifles, so a guardian’s load out is a large contributor to victory. Where PvP balances out is through the distribution of heavy weapon ammo, which is scattered in randomly selected ammo crates, resulting in a frantic scramble to be the first one to reach the ammunition, as heavy weapons give players a distinct advantage.       

Where Destiny falls short however is with its campaign. Hidden behind the sultry tones of Bill Nighy and Peter Dinklage lies a fairly short, repetitive storyline revolving around Peter Dinklage going all Aiden Peerce over security systems while you fight off waves of varying enemies. Set in a grim future, The Darkness has taken a break from being Jackie Estacado’s snake tentacles and is battling against Earth’s last vanguard, setting out to destroy the Earth’s benevolent floating sphere – the Traveller – and everything good in the galaxy. There are currently four alien races to do battle with from planet to planet, including the multi-limbed, bug faced Fallen (Tyrannids), the subterranean Hive (Locust), the Hulking, militarised  Cabal (Krogan) and the robotic legions of the Geth, I mean Vex. Each race has their own motives and can be seen fighting one another on each world.

What the story lacks is any explanation. Throughout the game it is unclear as to which race is your true enemy and whether or not the final boss fight is the Darkness or just a particularly powerful baddie. Players don’t really need to pay attention to the story and can plough through the game focussing on their immediate goals, guided by their ghost to undoubtedly scan some computers and fight off a couple of waves of alien nasties. The upside to the campaign is that it unlocks some truly breath-taking open world planets for players to explore, ranging from ancient ruins and crumbling cities to vast swamps and sandy dunes. Destiny’s visuals are stunning and makes grinding through enemies a little less mind numbing.

Verdict   8/10

Ups:

• Crisp combat

• Mesmerising Locations

• Great multiplayer interaction and gameplay

Downs:

• Repetitive missions

• Farming for upgrades and XP is tedious

• Plot doesn’t do the game justice

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Child of Light Review

 

After making the leap to Xbox One and viewing my – admittedly limited – games collection, I noticed that there was something missing, in that the current Xbox One titles are lacking in RPG’s. Now it’s arguable that such games as Dead Rising 3 and Black Flag have roleplaying elements to them, but there are no true RPG’s available to players. It’s true that with Destiny just around the corner and Dragon Age: Inquisition set for release in October that we won’t need to wait long, but in the meantime here’s a little gem to help you get your fix.

Despite critical acclaim, with such a hype for Watch Dogs, Ubisoft’s arcade release Child of Light was significantly over shadowed and swept under the rug somewhat. The story follows Aurora, a Child of Light as she adventures through the fairy tale-esque land of Lemuria in search of the Sun, Moon and Stars stolen by the Queen of Night.

Players travel through the levels as a 2D platformer, solving puzzles and collecting items to progress to the next areas, much in a way like fellow arcade hit, Limbo. The game encourages re-playable exploration of areas by making collectable items only available after later sections of the game are completed, such as players acquiring the ability of flight. Combat is turn based with an ‘active time battle system’ much like within the Final Fantasy series, with Aurora and one of seven party member facing up to three enemy monsters. Aurora’s party consists of a variety of creatures ranging from magical gnomes to feral beasts from all across Lemuria, each with their own stats and skill trees.

However your best friend within the game is Igniculus, a firefly and the first person Aurora encounters when she awakens in Lemuria. Igniculus aids players both in and out of combat with his glow, measured by his own glow meter. Out of combat, his glow lights dark passages, blinds foes and unlocks magical chests, whereas in combat Igniculus can heal friendly characters as well as slowing enemies on the timeline.

The game also includes a crafting system with Oculi, precious gems scattered across the land that provide special effects to damage, defence and skills. When combined in the crafting menu, these gems can create more powerful Oculi or entirely new Oculi types.

Playing Child of Light is like moving through a painting with its stunning yet simplistic visuals and inkblot transitions, accompanied by a beautifully orchestrated musical score, it creates a truly charming gaming experience. Child of Light provides a fairy tale adventure filled with friendship, betrayal, victory and loss, and for £11.99 is the perfect way to settle your RPG cravings.  

Dragon Age: Inquisition Gameplay

 

There has been a lot of previews to Bioware’s upcoming title Dragon Age: Inquisition, revealing everything from recurring characters to unexplored regions of Thedas. The most in depth of which being Bioware’s two part E3 demo gameplay series, narrated by creative director Mike Laidlaw.

The series showcases the most in depth look at the world of Dragon Age and the mechanics of player combat and navigation. It is immediately clear from the gameplay footage at just how far Bioware has come since Dragon Age II and just how big of a leap the studio has taken visually. We are introduced to a beautifully and painstakingly crafted world, much bigger than anything we’ve ever seen from a Dragon age game. In order to traverse the enormous maps, Bioware has finally introduced mounts to the series, ranging from your standard bay horses to more ‘exotic’ creatures.

Combat proves to be more fluid than ever before, jumping in and out of battle seamlessly. However, Inquisition also pulls back to its tactical roots, drawing inspiration from Dragon Age: Origins’ combat system. Players now have the option of playing more strategically than the previous Dragon Age titles – ducking in and out of the tactical combat camera to inspect enemy weaknesses and issue orders to party members to exploit them, before jumping back into real time. This also encourages players to utilise their entire party, playing as each character, rather than controlling them via pre-programmed orders for every fight.   As well as skills and spells powered by stamina and mana, a new ‘focus’ system has been introduced, allowing players to unleash powerful, strategic team attacks for tougher foes.          

Inquisition features a wide new range of monsters and villains to take on - naturally dragons remain the Alpha dogs when it comes to enemies, ranging from mere hatchlings to the fearsome High Dragons. With such impressive foes, Bioware has altered how players engage with the winged beasts, including the ability to attack a dragon’s limbs and wings, bringing it down and turning the tides of battle.

You are forgiven to believe that Inquisition is based around combat with its sophisticated tactical and real time battles and random dragon encounters – yet Inquisition remains true to the series and continues to be narrative based and story driven. The members of your party are enough to alter the story during specific quests, allowing options that would be unavailable to players with different characters accompanying them.

Any fans of the series or simply gamers excited for the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition should take a look at the mini-series and allow the creative director to inform you of the games’ features, as you’ll find it difficult to come across anyone else to talk about Inquisition as passionately as Laidlaw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDVdSPpCj7M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe_KAi9flTY

News for Dragon Age:Inquisition

With more and more details being revealed, a couple new trailers, and now a release date, the hype for Dragon Age: Inquisition is at an all-time high.

Living in the shadow of one of the greatest RPG series ever made is both a blessing and a curse. BioWare’s masterpiece has cemented the studio as one of the top dogs with its blend of adrenaline pumping action, cause and effect morality choices and truly epic story telling. However, as proved with Dragon Age II, not everything from Mass Effect is transferrable. It seems you can’t just give Shepard a broadsword and call him “Knight-Commander Shepard”. 

There was a lot of negativity towards Dragon Age II, mainly referring to repetitive dungeon levels and the limited character creation of the original, Dragon Age: Origins. Have no fear however, it seems as though BioWare has been listening. The studio made a big deal of traipsing through all the Dragon Age II feedback and using it as a source for the design of Inquisition, and has significant changes in store to ground the game back to its roots. “We’re missing our top-down tactical mode we had in Origins, so lets do it. But saying that, you take that feedback and you want to look between the lines a little bit, and also combine that with where you want to take the franchise, so it kind of gets a bit of a spin”, explains producer Cameron Lee

The most obvious change to Inquisition is its return to a wider range of character creation options that were available in Origins. The transition to a named, voiced human character was not a popular one. Inquisition will therefore revert to allowing players the option of multiple race choices, including Human, Elf and Dwarf. Players will also get to choose between the standard fantasy classes (Warrior, Mage, Rouge), as well as new unlockable sub classes. Warriors may choose between Champion, Templar and Reaver, Mages have the option of choosing between Rift Mage, Necromancer and Knight Enchanter, whereas Rouges pick between Assassin, Artificer or Tempest.

Being able to customise your character is important to the spirit of Inquisition believes Lee. He states that “One of the principles that we’re working towards is that Dragon Age: Inquisition is your game – we want you to be able to create the character you want to create, which is why races are there as well, why you can customise the way you look, the way your followers look, crafting is more complex than any BioWare game we’ve done before”.

This principle of players playing “their game” is not only reflected in characters, but the world around them. The most exciting change being implemented is the shift from sandbox to an open world environment. Players are now free to explore Thedas in whichever way they see fit. It’s no secret that the developers have designed Inquisition as a ‘Skyrim Killer’ and have extensively researched the environment of Bethesda’s epic adventure. Where Inquisition differs however is that players can physically alter the world around them both knowing and unknowingly. This is where BioWare is in its element, decision making. Mass Effect veterans will know that every action has a consequence in a BioWare game. Saving a life in Mass Effect may spare a life in Mass Effect 3, whereas aiding a human fleet may brand you as xenophobic for the entirety of the series.

Inquisition expands upon the typical paragon and renegade dialogue choices to achieve change to the world around you. Instead the world is fluid and constantly in flux. If a player finds his or herself gallivanting past a village under attack by bandits, they have no obligation to assist the townsfolk and doing so will not affect the main storyline, however if they allow the village to be destroyed then it may disappear from the world forever. Lee explains the mechanics of the world as “based on an emergent system that adjusts what you’ll encounter based on how your actions tip the balance in the area. You’ll see towns attacked by bandits, deer fleeing from wolves, giant’s feeding on bears, and countless other scenarios”. It’s as if BioWare are fulfilling all the promises of Peter Molyneux.

Areas announced for Inquisition include a return to Ferelden as well as the French inspired land of Orlais, of which includes The Dales, a mass elven graveyard in memory of the fallen Elves. To gain an idea of the size of the map, it’s claimed that one area of Inquisition is larger than every area of Dragon Age II combined.

With such a large transition from Dragon Age II, BioWare certainly has a tall order ahead of them. That being said, the attention to fan feedback is truly touching and Inquisition appears to keep true to what makes a great BioWare game. A vivid world to explore filled with a rich backstory, and simply unmatched storytelling.

Clash of the Titans! Titanfall Review

One of 2014’s most anticipated games has finally crashed down upon our consoles. Players across the globe are strapping into their titans and are embarking in what has been described as the FPS game changer.

With the online, multiplayer first person shooter experience dominated by the Battlefield and Call of Duty franchises, Titanfall has pooled a great deal of time and resources into not only matching these titles, but surpassing them. It is clear that the online mode was of great importance to Respawn Entertainment as even the campaign mode has been designed to play as a multiplayer experience. The campaign plays out as two stories, firstly as the renegade guerrilla soldiers of the Militia, and secondly as the IMC military. Think the Rebel alliance and the Sith Empire. Both sides of the campaign play out the same missions but from the perspective of each force. This may seem as if players are getting more in depth look at the storyline in which to explore, but frankly there is no storyline. The campaign is merely a series of Attrition and Hardpoint missions with different NPC’s prattling away on radio in the background. Honestly, the radio chatter and occasional NPC selfie in the corner of the screen is the entirety of the storyline, which simply disappears into your peripheries and is ignored during gameplay. If you actually stopped to listen to what’s being said, you’d be too distracted to focus on the missions. Respawn must have anticipated this as strangely, the story progresses whether you win or lose, meaning your performance means nothing to the development of the campaign.

Maybe I’m being harsh. The campaign does fill a purpose of easing players into the experience. Titanfall does of course include a tutorial, explaining the various controls and commands of the game, yet it’s the campaign that allows players to dive into PvP combat headfirst. After completion of both the Militia and IMC campaigns, players will have a grasp on the map layouts, a handful of new weaponry and skills, and the ability to customise both pilots and titans alike.   

Once familiar, Titanfall’s ‘Classic’ mode has five match types to choose from. Attrition is your traditional ‘team deathmatch’ style game where players receive points for pilot, titan and AI kills with no other victory conditions. Hardpoint domination requires the capturing and defending of three control points throughout the map, whereas Capture the Flag speaks for itself. Arguably the weakest match type, Pilot Hunter only rewards players with pilot kills, which leaves the final match type, Last Titan Standing. At face value, Last Titan Standing appears to be the simplest game type, one titan and one life, last titan standing wins. However this is when players will find themselves playing their most tactically. It’s easy to take down a titan one on one given the right loadout, it’s when you’re outnumbered that things get tricky. It’s therefore best to bide your time, wait for an enemy titan to engage a teammate, then strike.

There are a number of weapon and skill options to choose and equip your pilots, yet only a percentage of what other online shooters have to offer. This is good. What Titanfall knows is that throwing a truckload of weapons at players is not what makes an online experience enjoyable. Titanfall’s real achievement is the way in which players move around the map. The game’s movement is so fluid and flawless that’s there are no true obstacle in the game, merely stepping stones. The jetpack allows players to add an extra boost to jumps, clamber to the top of roofs and seemingly endless wall running. It is a truly joyful experience to travel across the map, jumping from windows, leaping across rooftops and scaling buildings, all the while avoiding bullet hail and missile fire.

One of the most refreshing aspects of Titanfall is how gameplay is surprisingly balanced throughout. New players can be thrown headfirst into matches with hardened veterans and not feel overwhelmed, they may trail on the leader board scores to begin with, but it will stop players being put off by the experience. One reason for this is the addition of grunts and spectres, humanoid robotic enemies (think battle droids). These extra troops on the battlefield not only bolster the ranks of each force, creating larger and more realistic conflict, but also provides newer players with much easier targets. Grunt and spectre kills don’t accumulate as much experience, but does keep players constantly busy with targets. I can whole heartedly say that you will never find yourself in a game where experienced players will steamroll through the match, killing you again and again causing burst blood vessels and shattered controllers.

Now the fun part, the titans! These hulking behemoths come in three varieties, each chassis with its own advantages and drawbacks, and are all available from level one. The Stryder class is your lightweight titan, more nimble on the move with a higher number of dashes at the expense of protective armour plating. The Ogre is a moving fortress, the slowest chassis available but with the highest level of protection available, leaving the final titan remaining, the Atlas, an in between compromise of speed and protection. Although all chassis are available to players, both campaigns must be completed before any customisation is permitted, which is what you need if you want to equip some bonkers WMD’s to your metallic beast. The titan icon in the bottom corner of your screen displays a countdown to titanfall, the moment you can orbital drop your titan onto the battlefield and begin your rampage. Experienced players will learn that racking up a kill count will significantly reduce the build time for your titans.

The thing to remember when piloting your titan is that they are powerful but not indestructible, even to pilots. Each pilot is equipped with an anti-titan weapon, which may seem like a bug bite at first, but several pilots combining fire power will soon accumulate into a big problem. Another hand trick to taking down a titan is to rodeo it into the ground. Players have the power to clamber on the back of titans and fire into its internal systems, bypassing its shields and if left unchallenged, destroying it.

So, is Titanfall the FPS game changer? When looking at Titanfall as a whole, there is no aspect you could call revolutionary. Everything in the game has been done before, at some point, and there are similar games that deliver a great deal more options in terms of weapons and equipment. However, what it does do is deliver an exciting, balanced, well-rounded online experience which to put it bluntly, is fun. Respawn has prioritised fun over content which is the way it should be.

Verdict: 9/10  A breath of fresh air for online shooters. Highly addictive and replayable for veterans and beginners alike.              

   

Fable Anniversary Review

Your Health is Still Low.

As a diehard Fable fanboy I was delighted when Lionhead Studios announced their next instalment of the series, Fable Legends. A prequel to the series that takes a look at Albion when Heroes were abundant and Albion was less industrial and filled with magic, brilliant. It’s no surprise then that Lionhead revealing an anniversary addition on the original Fable made me more than a little giddy.

This HD remake contains the full Fable story along with the additional content of Fable: The Lost Chapters. Released on PC and Xbox 360, it is essentially what Fable would have been had it been released on the 360. It therefore has the same content, storyline and character voices as the original, but in shiny new graphics and with an achievement list for players to conquer.

The achievements are typically Fable in their content and humour, such as “I did for a cheevo” which required players to get a headshot on an enemy whilst wearing a wig, a beard and a dressed as a woman. Like the demon doors scattered across Albion, some achievements also offer players a couple of options in how to achieve them. For example “Arthur or Robin” Requires players to either pull the sword from the stone or win the archery competition, whereas “Definitely off the rails” gives players the choice of either exploring every region in the game or becoming so obese that you are “as round as the world”.

Lionhead has been extremely passionate with the Anniversary edition and has tried to keep the game as pure as possible to the original. What they have done however has made a couple of alterations to aspects of the original that stopped the game dead in its tracks. The most noticeable change is that of the combat system which now stems from the improved one button system introduced in Fable 2. Although a smoother system in general, there are issues. When the new one button system was introduced in Fable 2, all combat was changed to accommodate it, with environmental aspects, different striking techniques and finishing moves. In Anniversary however it is only the button system which has changed, meaning combat has become slightly clunky, with noticeable delays between pressing a command and action taking place (flourishes are the main offenders).

The most important change made to the game however is the save system. Lionhead has ditched its god awful way of saving where players could not save progress during a quest, they could only “world save” meaning they would keep any experience earned, but would have to restart the quest when they resumed. This has been rectified in Anniversary, as Lionhead decided it was probably better to use the standard save system that is popular with every game ever! 

Any Fable veterans who have played the original game may play through it thinking that the updated graphics look as though the textures have been poorly laid over the top of the old ones, as if Lionhead were slapping a coat of paint over a crack in the wall. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not putting lipstick on a pig. It’s was never how the game looked that made Fable a great game, it was its content. Although the visuals do come across as shaky at times, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of playing, if anything it makes the game look and feel more like Fable, its part of the game’s charm.

And this is exactly what players who have never played a Fable game will need to keep in mind when playing in order to enjoy it. It’s sad to say but players used to the hyper graphics of Ryse and the adrenaline pumping FPS games currently being pumped onto the shelves will know they are playing a ten year old game, and will understandably be unimpressed by Fable Anniversary’s face value. However, knuckle under through the fairly slow opening and reach the rich heart of the game, and it’ll be hard for any gamer to not be wooed by Fable’s appeal.

Any fable fans who have not had the pleasure of experiencing the game where it all began should definitely play Fable anniversary. If not for the backstory, then to simply see where the series began and where its roots lie.

Fable Anniversary retains all the charisma, character and very British humour of the original game all wrapped up in shiny new graphics. Like a shot for shot remake (a good one though, not like Psycho). The HD update and achievements make it feel fresh, whilst the original cut scenes and voiceover actors bring an air of nostalgia to players of the original.

At the end of the day Fable Anniversary is a game for Fable fans. It is a game that knows what it is and sets out to accomplish what it is meant to, the best playable version of the game that made the series ground breaking. A rediscovery of what makes Fable great.

 

Verdict: 8/10 Fable Aniversary is a Glorious look back for fans of the series, but shows its age to modern gamers when compared with recent titles.

Elder Scrolls Anticipation

In the world of fantasy RPG’s there are many good games, a handful of great series, and one true king of the genre, the Elder Scrolls. Every eagerly anticipated instalment from the award winning series creates a shockwave across the land, cementing itself as a staple of the genre and showing RPG’s that this is how it’s done. Yet no matter how exceptional each game may be, there has undoubtedly been the same statement uttered countless times by fans, “This would be a great multiplayer game”.

There have been many ideas thrown around to suggest a way in which Bethesda could implement multiplayer into the series, such as joining a friend’s game as a mercenary like the Fable series, jumping into a friends adventure and transferring all the goodies to your own world as Dead Rising 3 does, or as a gladiatorial arena to have it out with other players to determine the greatest warrior in Tamriel. Bethesda has finally put our suspicions to rest with the announcement of The Elder Scrolls Online; Bethesda’s first MMORPG.

Right from the off there have been mixed opinions on Bethesda’s tangent of the series. That being said, gamers are excited for TESO, very excited. There are just some issues that have cropped up. With the Elder Scrolls shifting from single player RPG to MMORPG, there are aspects of the series that made it so popular that are simply not possible to implement in an online elder scrolls.

One moment that no Elder scrolls player can deny experiencing, whether it be Morrowind, Oblivion or Skyrim, is littering the land with weapons, armour or piles of junk just as a means to keep jogging when over encumbered. In this process you may have dropped something important to your character in the middle of nowhere. However, have no fear, this is the Elder scrolls. Simply retrace your steps and you will eventually trip over your discarded items, whether you’ve ran to town and back or spent 50 plus hours adventuring.

Now that’s great, thank you Bethesda, very helpful. But imagine a world with thousands of players dropping there unwanted items wherever they please, and it staying there forever. The rolling hills of Tamriel would soon become a landfill of cabbages, torches and iron weapons. However this issue, believe it or not, is not of countless digital litter bugs, think of how much the performance would plummet with the amount of physics acting upon all those items. ALL the time.

Despite lacking the quirks of the single player open world adventure, TESO promises to deliver the very best aspects of multiplayer to the world we know and love. Rather than lone questing, TESO focus’ on party based adventuring and full scale battles amidst online players.     

So what do we know so far? This tale begins with Molag Bal, the daedric prince of domination and enslavement stepping up to become Tamriel’s newest and greatest threat. He’s up to his old tricks and has weakened the barriers between worlds, allowing his armies to seep through the cracks of oblivion to wreak havoc. Whilst the fate of the Imperial City and the Ruby Throne falls into the hands of Bal worshipers, three unlikely alliances form, each with their own agendas, but all with their eyes on the Ruby thrown.

TESO allows players to be a part of the Daggerfall Covernent, the Ebonheart pact, or the Aldmeri Dominion. Each faction has its own races, lands and bonuses to offer players and all are available to choose from. As well as being part of a mighty faction, players have the option to join or create their own guilds, allowing joint questing with friends online.

With all these impressive added online and multi-player features to the newest Elder Scrolls, TESO looks like a very promising next step for Bethesda’s award winning series. Although the game may lose some of its inherent traits that made the series such a popular franchise due to its more focused approach to multi-player, players need not worry as the rich backstory and lore of the Elder Scrolls universe runs deep in TESO, meaning players will soon forget about not being able to find their leg of venison they left outside a cave twelve levels ago. Any lone wolf adventures out there shouldn’t be to disheartened. Although your race will determine which faction you be a part of, you have no obligation to join faction or even join other players on quests. You can simply strap a sword to your back and head out into the wilderness. Saying that however, if you do participate in faction related conflicts you have the opportunity to become the Emperor himself! Doing this will benefit your entire faction as well as giving you some very powerful upgrades to your fighting capabilities.

The Elder Scrolls Online is a game that has very big boots to fill, living in the shadow of its previous instalments. Hard-core fans of the series should go into it with an open mind and not be too disappointed it differs from the game series they fell in love with. TESO promises a lot of exciting changes to what we are used to and looks to be one of the most exciting fantasy games of the year. So grab a weapon, join a faction and prepare yourself for war.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Review

Yo ho! And set sail me trumps! Assassin’s creed has gone all nautical. Ubisoft’s latest instalment of the bestselling series follows the swashbuckling adventures of Captain Edward kenway as he sails the seas in search of plunder and booty. Black Flag promises to deliver what all Assassin’s creed games do, a suspiciously acrobatic protagonist hunting down Templars and their associates with a combination of stealth and satisfying assassinations.

It goes without saying that the assassinations are one of the game’s strongest points. No one can deny feeling that adrenaline rush when they stalk their prey from the rafters and pull of a preposterously high air assassination, before slinking back into the shadows undetected. What Black flag also brings to the table however, is its baggage. Players are still forced to succumb to the mind numbingly tedious tailing objectives (not to mention those irritating eavesdrop missions) which are not only dull but infuriating to repeat if detected.

That being said, by playing as a pirate captain, Ubisoft has been able to take the naval settings of Assassin’s Creed III (arguably the greatest aspect of the game) and expand upon it. The naval battles remain relatively unchanged, with players going toe to toe with enemy ships and naval forts from both the Spanish and British Navy. In Black Flag however, Kenway’s Jackdaw has a few more toys to play with, having a larger arsenal of firepower thanks to the chase cannons and mortars, as well as the diving bell to explore underwater treasure troves. Another nifty little addition is the rowboat, essentially acting as a mini game allowing players to hunt creatures of the deep with harpoons. This is prime example at how Ubisoft manages to create a great deal of satisfaction with a single button event. It seems that launching harpoon’s at a humpback with only the right trigger is just as enjoyable as a patented double hidden blade assassination with a simple press of the X button.

Any collector junkies out there, have no fear, Black Flag continues Assassin’s Creed’s tradition of collectables, delivering a smorgasbord of goodies for you to hunt down both within the animus and also as an Abstergo employee. Players are able to acquire cryptic messages hidden in Abstergo headquarters as well as hacked computer files referring to subject 17 Desmond Miles (now sample 17).

Putting to one side the pros and cons of the previous games that have been carried over, Black Flag’s most appealing quality is its engaging lead character. We must remember that what made Assassin’s creed II one of the best in the series, is that Ezio showed us all that an assassin can have their own personality, that they don’t need to follow the creed like scripture, and that in comparison, his predecessor Altair was a little boring to play as.

After Connor’s woefully dull period as Assassin’s Creed’s lead, Kenway is exactly what the series needs, a charming rouge who takes nothing too seriously other than his own fortune. The reason Edward is so likeable is that he isn’t truly an assassin. Yes he has the athleticism required to perform the tricks of the trade but he is merely a pirate who defeats an assassin in combat and adorns his foes cowl. In truth the only thing linking Kenway to the main story arc with the assassin’s is his quest to obtain the Templar’s ultimate treasure, the observatory, and even then it is not a noble cause, simply a means to acquire riches. 

Verdict:

Black Flag offers players the same thrills that it always has with a simple but enjoyable combat system, satisfying stealth gameplay and destructive naval battles. Just grit your teeth and white knuckle it through the tedious tailing missions and you’ll enjoy a satisfying action filled, swashbuckling adventure.

8/10