Tag: First Impressions - Page 3
First Impressions Switching Genres on the Fly in Velocity 2X on Vita and PS4
Oh Kai
During its short spell at the forefront of PlayStation production, FuturLab has profited from its ability to surprise. Straightforward concepts are at the core of the company’s ethos, but the award-winning developer always manages to marry them with clever twists. That commitment to reinvention resulted in the firm refreshing the entire...
First Impressions Defying Death in Dark Souls II
Bonfire rewire
Our stamina bar drained slowly, as engulfed by utter darkness, the ominous sound of a huge armoured tortoise’s footsteps refused to fade into the black. This is the moment that it suddenly became clear that Dark Souls II would live up to every bit of its gruelling reputation – and not only in terms of difficulty, but also in its...
First Impressions Unmasking Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate on PlayStation Vita
Holy handheld, Batman
There’s some serious pedigree behind Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate. The portable spin-off is being assembled by Armature, the Texas-based game production workshop founded by a trio of ex-Retro Studios employees, and is attempting to piggy-back off the success of Rocksteady’s wildly popular Arkham escapades, only on a...
First Impressions Taking Gran Turismo 6 for a Test Drive on PS3
Round the bend
With the next generation of consoles looming, Gran Turismo 6 feels like a title out of time for many. Launching after the PlayStation 4 hits stores worldwide, the PlayStation 3 racer will attempt to go head-to-head with Forza 5 on the Xbox One. It’s a bold move from Sony to forgo its futuristic console, as it would have been a...
First Impressions Hitching a Ride in the Stalling Grand Theft Auto Online
Grand Theft Manual
Unless you've been hiding away from the federal government for the past week, you'll have no doubt heard about Grand Theft Auto Online's rough start. Connection problems plagued the highly anticipated multiplayer addition to Rockstar's opus, as the title's servers crumbled within minutes of it going live. Even if you were lucky...
First Impressions Testing Our Reactions in Resogun, the Prettiest Game on PS4
Machine of sparkle
If you’ve been unfortunate enough to reside within the general vicinity of this particular author over the past month or so, you’ll have been forced to suffer through an excited recount regarding Resogun. The spiritual successor to Super Stardust HD has been lighting chemical fireworks in our subconscious for several weeks...
Video Reporting for Duty in DICE's Battlefield 4 Beta on PS3
Stand to attention
War never changes – it just gets refined. Never ones to shy away when the world’s plunged into military madness, we’ve been testing our Rambo-esque resolve in Battlefield 4’s beta over the past couple of days. But does the game feel like a true step forward for the franchise, or is it merely more of the same? Check out our...
First Impressions Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z Covers Us in Zombie Blood
No braaains
The weird Ninja Gaiden spin-off that is Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z surprised us during a recent hands-on. For a series that's always been known for its gory disposition, it feels like proceedings may have gone a little bit overboard, with so much blood and mutilation that we found it difficult to discern what was even happening on screen...
First Impressions Sailing Around Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's Open Waters on PS4
We can almost smell that salty sea air
Only a short time away from launch, Ubisoft has been bombarding the web with countless promotional trailers, developer commentaries, and swag-heavy competitions for months now – but not even this avalanche of content could prepare us for the sense of freedom that we experienced during a recent Assassin's...
First Impressions Sliding and Slicing in Warframe on PS4
Named and framed
Occupying just three PlayStation 4s at Sony's Eurogamer Expo booth, Digital Extreme's free-to-play co-op sci-fi romp shared the same floor as juggernauts like Killzone: Shadow Fall and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Warframe's presence brought a homey feel to the otherwise bustling show, as members of the development team talked...
First Impressions Basking in the Glow of Child of Light
Baby bright
The second UbiArt-powered game to be unveiled at Ubisoft’s Digital Days 2013 event, Child of Light – which is launching on both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 – was pitched to us as “a JRPG for those that don’t have the time to invest a hundred hours into a game”. While this quote may trouble some hardcore JRPG fans,...
First Impressions Going Underground With Ubisoft's Watch_Dogs
We go hands-on at Ubisoft's Digital Days 2013
One of many blockbuster titles in Ubisoft’s stable adopting their second screen experience initiative, the potential for Watch_Dogs’ iOS "H_ide" app is high — and in a game where you can hack everything, you’re not quite as unhackable as you might think. At Ubisoft’s Digital Days 2013 event in...
First Impressions Join The Crew - Hitting The Road With Ubisoft's PS4 Open World Racer
Burning rubber
Unique social functions and second screen experiences are the new chic for the video game industry at the moment, with every other publisher attempting to shoehorn in ways to ‘enhance’ your gameplay experience. No publisher is pushing for this innovative change more than Ubisoft and its seamlessly online-integrated race-em-up, The...
First Impressions Revisiting Adolescent Angst in Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls
Holmes alone
Beyond: Two Souls is unlike anything that you’ve ever played before. It certainly shares similarities with developer Quantic Dream’s previous work, but many of those comparisons revolve around the fact that you’ll be interacting with the game world in an unorthodox way. Much like there was an entire sequence in Heavy Rain...
First Impressions Skylanders: Swap Force Courts Core Gamers
Trading up
Being talked through a game by the developer and playing it at home is a very different experience. To close this “reality” gap, Family Gamer TV went solo with a full level from Skylanders: Swap Force on the PlayStation 4 at GamesCom. Let’s get the elephant out of the room straight away: jumping is not a big deal in the world of...
First Impressions An Audience with Puppeteer, the PS3 Panto Deserving of a Standing Ovation
Pure theatre
Games like Puppeteer don’t deserve to be sitting out in the wings. You’re more likely to find Japan Studio’s side-scroller nursing a cold cup of coffee and pushing about props than strutting its stuff on centre stage. In an industry increasingly obsessed with leading lights like Call of Duty and Battlefield, there’s becoming...
Round Up We've Played a Ton of PS4 Games, Read Our Thoughts
Rewind theatre
While you may still be awaiting your first chance to get to grips with the DualShock 4, we’ve been greedily getting hands-on time with a bunch of the PlayStation 4’s biggest games. Assuming that you’ve been visiting the site on a daily basis – and there are no excuses for not doing so – then you’ll already know that...
First Impressions Stepping into the Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Use your illusion
Disney has been investing a significant amount of effort in recent years to put the quality back into its video game franchises and reach out to more adult gamers. With the Epic Mickey series adopting a somewhat darker tone, and the forthcoming classic remake of DuckTales: Remastered, it’s obvious that the media giant has been...
First Impressions Killzone: Mercenary Is the Vita Shooter That You've Been Waiting For
Pride and Pyrrhus
Ever since we first nestled our thumbs on the PlayStation Vita’s petite but precise analogue sticks, we’ve been gunning for a good first-person shooter. Nihilistic Software did the best that it could with a bad hand, deploying Resistance: Burning Skies and Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified into a regrettable crossfire of...
First Impressions Brash Is Back in Wolfenstein: The New Order on PS4
Reich for the stars
Wolfenstein: The New Order is unashamedly old-school. The product of Swedish upstart Machine Games – a new outfit comprised of Starbreeze veterans – the revamp endeavours to ditch the conventions that have consumed the first-person genre over the course of the current generation, evangelising classic staples such as medkits,...
First Impressions Killzone: Shadow Fall May Be the Most Strategic Shooter on PS4
Helgasp
Killzone: Shadow Fall is the release that will make you believe in the benefits of next generation hardware. Guerrilla Games’ first-person launch title shoots down any questions regarding the PlayStation 4’s ability to impress visually, responding emphatically with elegant dappled lighting and richer textures than a mercenary’s bank...
First Impressions Behind the Wheel with DriveClub, the PS4 Racer That Wants to Keep You on the Road
Team pursuit
Evolution Studios does not consider PlayStation 4 launch title DriveClub to be just another racing game. The talented Runcorn-based outfit sees its latest vehicular outing as more of a social service – a hub that will keep you hooked by allowing you to interact with friends, recruit your own personal team, and sit in the cockpit of...
First Impressions The Playroom May Be the Most Impressive Use of PS4 Yet
Minigame compilation makes us believers
Expectations can be curious things. If you’re already extremely excited for something, it can be hard for that unfortunate entity to live up to the standards that you’ve assigned to it. As a consequence, it’s easier to be surprised when your anticipation at rock bottom. And that’s exactly what happened...
First Impressions Could the PS4 Controller Be Gaming's Greatest Ever Input Device?
We wrap our eager fingers around the DualShock 4
It’s been almost 16 years since the PlayStation’s primary input device last demanded real scrutiny. The introduction of the DualShock in late 1997 ushered a new standard for video game control that hasn’t changed a whole lot over the past decade and a half. Sure, the peripheral has been host to...
First Impressions Stomping Around with Knack on PS4
Hands-on gameplay reveals PS4 processing power
With the number of games slated for the PS4 launch Knack may have slipped under the radar somewhat. However, PS4 System Architect Mark Cerny saw fit to take on the role of game designer and we think for good reason. The main character in the game is a Robot that attracts and controls a variety of relic...
First Impressions Dancing with Cat Ears in Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F
Big in Asia
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F is a very unique rhythm-based game. Inspired by the dominant Japanese Vocaloid craze – a piece of software that allows users to create songs – Hatsune Miku is a virtual anime-style Japanese idol and digital singer, with a vocaloid sound sampled from the voice of Japanese voice actress Fujita Saki. At a...
First Impressions Turning the Pages of Wonderbook: Book of Potions
Brewing up a storm
Wonderbook may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for families, and those of an inquisitive nature, it offers a totally new way to play games. The only problem, up until recently, was that there was only one title that used the novel peripheral, Wonderbook: Book of Spells. Fortunately, last month saw the release of
First Impressions Is The Last of Us' Multiplayer Mode Worth Surviving?
Twelve weeks later
Those still lamenting the shock execution of Zipper Interactive last March will find a lot to like about The Last of Us’ closely guarded multiplayer mode. Unlike the single player campaign’s strictly personal tale, the competitive component sees you cultivating a stronghold of survivors, fighting against enemy factions to...
First Impressions Is BioShock: Infinite Any Good with the PlayStation Move?
Shooting sinners with pinpoint precision
While we’re not quite finished with our BioShock: Infinite review yet, we figured that we’d bring you a few impressions of the title’s PlayStation Move controls to tide you over while you wait. Sony made a big deal out of the support during its E3 press conference in 2011, hauling creative director Ken...
First Impressions Mass Effect 3's Citadel DLC Is One Party That You Shouldn't Skip
Cheery bye
Commander Shepard has walked a long and dangerous road – and with Mass Effect 3’s final DLC offering, Citadel, that road comes to a heartfelt and engaging end. What starts off as an opportunity to unwind and relax at the galaxy’s centre of operations takes us on a rather wild ride absolutely packed with cameos and in-jokes. The...
First Impressions Taking Sides with Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC
Bloody good
Consider Dawnguard’s arrival on PlayStation 3 a late Hallowe’en present from Bethesda. The latest The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim expansion is full of vampires, creepy rituals, spooky old castles, and a lot of violence. There’s also a lot of epic questing thrown in for good measure, too. Just like Dragonborn, there’s an awful lot...
First Impressions Make a House a Home with Skyrim's Hearthfire DLC
Sitting beside the furnace
Hearthfire isn’t quite what you’d expect from a piece of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim DLC. This doesn't offer an epic journey into the heart of an unknown land – it’s about expanding your experience through lovey-dovey stuff like making you and your spouse a new residence from scratch, or adopting children. In...
First Impressions Exploring The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's Dragonborn DLC
Back to the brink
After more than a year without DLC, the PlayStation 3 version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim finally gets some love from Bethesda. In this case, the latest Skyrim DLC to release on other platforms is the first on PS3 – and it’s arguably the best of the bunch. In an attempt to make up for the delay, Bethesda and Sony saw fit to...
First Impressions Is Bentley's Hackpack Worth Your Coins?
Firewall flattener
Sony’s sneaky Sly Cooper series has always enjoyed a wide array of mini-games. The emphasis certainly became more pronounced in later entries, with Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves dividing fans due to its hearty helping of side content. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time – the fourth entry in the series – follows in its predecessor’s...
First Impressions LittleBigPlanet 2's Cross-Controller Expansion Actually Works
Second screen
LittleBigPlanet 2’s hotly anticipated cross-controller add-on launches later today in North America (tomorrow in Europe), and we’ve already been lucky enough to experience the content's first couple of stages. For those out of the loop, the $4.99/€4.99 expansion adds several new cross-controller levels to the PlayStation 3 game...
Preview DiRT Showdown - Destruction Derby Returns
Write off
Given the affection PlayStation fans still have for Destruction Derby, it’s surprising no one’s attempted to recreate the smash-heavy vehicular formula on PS3. It may be late to the party, but DiRT Showdown is exactly that: a game that can’t be pitched without referencing Psygnosis’ 1995 hit, like its inspiration it’s hard to put...
First Impressions Spec Ops: The Line
End of the line
Spec Ops: The Line owes a lot to the Uncharted series — and not just because Nolan North lends his voice to the game’s gruff protagonist Captain Martin Walker. The combat – which takes place from a third-person perspective – is hugely derivative of Nathan Drake’s series, as you meander between conveniently placed vehicles...
First Impressions Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2
Cycle shattered
Well, it looks like SEGA got the abysmal message about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and actually did something about it. We're happy to report that, based on our time with two zones of the game at PAX East, the long-awaited Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 plays a lot closer to how our nostalgic hearts remember the series before...
First Impressions Twisted Metal
Carnage
Twisted Metal is an important brand for PlayStation veterans. Many will have fond memories of weekends spent with turbo-charged cars and homing missiles, settling disputes between friends and family. It’s a franchise that, like WipEout and Gran Turismo, is an important part of PlayStation’s iconography. And if a short hands-on with Eat...
First Impressions Escape Plan on PlayStation Vita
When Sony debuted Escape Plan at GamesCom last year, we were so infatuated with the game's Tim Burton-esque artstyle that we failed to pay attention to its actual gameplay
It was only when we attended a PlayStation Vita preview event at the tail-end of last year, that we really got a feel for the mechanics behind the Fun Bits Interactive developed...
First Impressions MotorStorm RC
MicroStorm
When you think MotorStorm you think big cars, off-road mayhem and more collisions than an engine can rev at. Peep in the direction of Evolution Studios’ PS Vita/PlayStation Network title, however, and something far different than expected can be found. Sure, there’s the occasional bump, and driving definitely takes place off-road...
First Impressions Welcome Park
Let’s get it started
Gaze upon the launch spread of PS Vita — WipEout 2048, Uncharted: Golden Abyss and those cheeky Little Deviants to name but a few — and it’s easy to overlook the system’s in-built software. Stop salivating over Nathan Drake for ten seconds, though, and flicking around Vita’s bubbly operating system uncovers a pile of...
First Impressions WipEout 2048
Wow-pEout
PS Vita’s launch line-up is crammed full of quality, yet WipEout 2048 looks to rocket past many of its competitors right out of the gate. Set before the other games in the franchise, 2048 takes fans back to the start of the anti-gravity racing league and gives SCE Studio Liverpool ample opportunity to experiment with its high-speed baby...
First Impressions Gravity Rush
Floaty
The presence of Keiichiro Toyama, famous for his work on the Silent Hill and Siren franchises, is welcome in the launch window of PS Vita. Seemingly breaking away from his horror roots, Tomaya serves as creative director on Gravity Rush, a game that allows players to reject the rules of gravity itself in the palms of their hands. Kat awakes...
First Impressions Grand Slam Tennis 2
The latest tennis contender
The recent Grand Slam Tennis 2 demo on PlayStation Network supports PlayStation Move, so we got to grips with its motion controls to see how it shapes up. Ever since Sports Champions redefined motion controls with its table tennis mode, we’ve longed for a similarly accurate tennis game. Both Top Spin 4 and Virtua Tennis...
First Impressions Grand Slam Tennis 2 on PS3
Skill based control has become a foundation of EA Sports' output this generation
Tiger Woods, Skate and Fight Night have all experimented with right analogue stick inputs, bringing a new level of fidelity to traditionally arcadey experiences. Grand Slam Tennis 2 mimics EA Sports' ambition, bringing a new level of shot precision to the game of...
First Impressions Hustle Kings
Hustle and flow
Hustle Kings knows it’s up against a tough crowd. Like the similarly styled Top Darts, it’s vying for attention against Uncharted: Golden Abyss and WipEout 2048 in the PlayStation Vita’s launch line-up. What chance does a pub game simulation have against such blockbuster names? At first glance, not a whole lot — but Hustle...
First Impressions Hustle Kings on PlayStation Vita
Hustle Kings knows it's up against a tough crowd
Like the similarly styled Top Darts, it's vying for attention against Uncharted: Golden Abyss and WipEout 2048 in the PlayStation Vita's launch line-up. What chance does a pub game simulation have against such blockbuster names? At first glance, not a whole lot — but Hustle Kings has the last laugh...
First Impressions Reality Fighters
Hard to beat?
Novarama’s one of the few developers that’s actively pushed the potential of augmented reality. Alongside Sony Studio London, the Spanish developer has been instrumental in driving camera-based experiences on the PlayStation Portable — conjuring up the inspired, but flawed, Invizimals series. While the Pokémon-inspired franchise...
First Impressions Reality Fighters on PlayStation Vita
Novarama's one of the few developers that's actively pushed the potential of augmented reality
Alongside Sony Studio London, the Spanish developer has been instrumental in driving camera-based experiences on the PlayStation Portable — conjuring up the inspired, but flawed, Invizimals series. While the Pokemon inspired franchise has struggled to...
