Review: Payday 2

The guard rounds the corner right as you move to start picking the lock. He looks you up and down, notices your suspicious choice of clothing (ballistic vests are so last week) and goes for his sidearm. Your team tenses up as you throw on your mask and try to stop him from alerting the patrons on the other side of the door.

If he does, an alarm (and the police) are not far away.

The heist is on.

With the advent of the recent Steam Autumn Sale, I took advantage of some of the savings to create a backlog of games right as my holiday break began. I reasoned that I needed some diversions for the days ahead, so I picked up a few titles - among them, Far Cry 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Starbound and Payday 2.

To my surprise, Payday 2 has given me the most enjoyment so far.

It's all about the money

Payday 2 like it's predecessor Payday: The Heist is a first-person shooter, but with a twist. You're not some kind of military superhero or apocalyptic world-ending event survivor. You're not fighting for the U.S. government, against an oppressive regime or for your own survival.

You're a professional heister.

During the course of the game, you'll shoot at (and be the target of) police. You'll run into a room wearing a grotesque mask, screaming at everyone to get down on the ground. You'll crack safes, safety deposit boxes, and server rooms wide open. You'll run to an escape vehicle with a heavy but expensive bag of loot. 

And along the way, you'll either strike it rich or die trying.

To say Payday 2 feels a lot like an actual heist is almost certainly inaccurate. But it definitely feels a lot like the heists you and I actually know about - the ones you see in movies. And that is a Hell of a situation to be a part of.

Temptation

You see, Payday 2 isn't about destroying every enemy you come across. It's not about good versus evil.

It's all about those dead presidents. And you will be tempted to risk your life to get them.

You get a certain amount of money just for completing the basic objectives of a heist, whatever those may be. But you almost always have the chance to get additional money somehow, and that additional money is what you will be obsessed with. 

How dangerous does the police presence have to be to decide against re-entering the bank for that last bag of gold? How long will you stay in the bank's vault as you attempt to pick open safety deposit boxes for extra cash?

So far, money has been the prime limiting factor for my character progression. I always want more. And by creating that demand, the game makes you want to take risks. It even ups the stakes by providing missions that you can only attempt once - and, if you fail, you lose the money you spent to get the initial contract. 

Of course, the rewards are also better. 

The game also offers a random reward at the end of every heist - it could be extra money or experience, a modification for a weapon, a new mask to wear, or custom colour or pattern options for any of your current masks.

Insider info

The game does a good job of replicating the chaos of a movie heist. On top of that atmosphere, it layers a level progression system that is fulfilling and makes characters distinct from one another based on the choices of their players.

The Ghost is a stealth specialist, for example, while the Mastermind grants bonuses to their team, can heal them, and is great at getting bystanders under control.

At its core, this game is a co-operative multiplayer game. If you don't want to play with other people, you'll find the team AI to be sub-par at best. An AI player will basically always be inferior to an actual human, so I recommend finding a group of people online. This game is best experienced with friends, though - and Steam offers a 4-pack which provides substantial savings over buying individual copies.

I've heard complaints from some people that the community is bad, but every experience I've had has been positive - and I've never had a full group of four people that I knew personally. 

The gun-play is really solid, and military enthusiasts will find highly customizable weaponry based on real-world models.

To keep things from getting too predictable, the heists have random elements that affect how you approach the job. Some obstacles are there on one heist, and not the next. Sometimes there is a guard patrolling a route where there was not before. Sometimes a bystander is hanging out in the alleyway right outside the window you want to open.

Even though you'll see the selection of maps often enough, the game still feels fresh.

A unique experience

Payday 2 is a unique beast. It isn't really a stealth FPS, although stealth is viable and it is entirely possible on most heists to get through it without alerting the authorities.

It feels almost like a first-person, multiplayer Hitman in the sense that the heist is really about the choices you make. You can choose to carry concealable weaponry and wear inconspicuous clothing to maximize your stealth advantage and disable alarms. Or you can instead go quick and dirty, eliminating guards and triggering alarms.

Most of the heists I've been on were a combination - stealth as far as possible, and then all-out shooting the rest of the way. But I've had heists without a police response at all, which happened because the team was working together to avoid alarms, cameras, bystanders and loud noises.

The Haul

Payday 2 improves on its predecessor and is worth a look for any fan of FPS, especially cooperative multiplayer FPS. I recommend picking it up for PC if possible, as it is updated more frequently.

Review: Smite

The embedded flash advertisement on the webpage I was browsing advertised "Smite: the free-to-play battleground of the gods". I didn't give it a second look, expecting it to be yet another Facebook game that I would no doubt see spamming my timeline soon enough.

Maybe it was divine intervention, then, when one of my close friends checked it out after reading an article on Massively about the game's latest patch. A month later, I've come to appreciate the game's fresh new take on a genre that has thus far, with few exceptions, been most successful when sticking to the time-tested DotA formula.

And Smite is, undoubtedly, one of DotA's many offspring. They don't attempt to deny it; in fact, the official Twitter account for the game describes it as "DotA-inspired but (with) 3rd person camera and action combat". But what it brings to the table is a unique gameplay experience that many of its siblings lack.

I've been having a blast with Smite. Here's why.

Gameplay

You'll quickly recognize the three-lane setup of Smite's conquest mode from pretty much any ARTS or MOBA.

It isn't trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the game modes it offers: domination mode is reminiscent of MMO PvP maps like WoW's Arathi Basin, assault mode is LOL's "All random, all mid" mode, and arena is pretty much what you'd expect.

Likewise, common MOBA ideas like supports, carries and bruisers remain very much intact in Smite's gameplay. Each god has three normal abilities, an ultimate ability and a passive.

But while the concepts may be familiar, the gameplay is different.

There are (with a select few exceptions) no attacks that "lock on". Basically every attack in Smite is what MOBA players normally call a "skill shot" - that is, you have to aim it manually and anticipate movement and lead time.

The result: combat that feels a lot more like an action-oriented MMORPG than an RTS. It feels tightly tuned and the results are rewarding.

It also means that the physical environment becomes a huge factor. A lot of abilties give you the option of modifying the terrain, like Ymir's ice wall or Odin's Ring of Spears. Likewise, some characters have movement abilities designed to allow them to ignore terrain.

Collision is enabled for gods and minions, as well. Body-blocking is a viable strategy to prevent someone from escaping or to absorb hits for a fleeing ally.

The transition to third-person brings with it some unexpected joys, too. Not being able to see behind you without turning around means that being chased while at low health your escape is never certain. It also makes dodging your opponents' abilities harder, though you can listen for audio cues. You can turn around, if you like... but backpedalling is a lot slower than running forward, unless you buy a particular item that lets you backpedal at full speed.

Since a character's view distance is a lot farther than the fog of war visibility on the minimap,  the third person perspective makes communication with teammates extremely important. You might be able to see someone that your teammates can't see using only their minimap.

Some modifications to standard MOBA systems also exist, but they are mostly welcome changes. One in particular I found helpful was that items don't combine into other items like in LoL and Dota 2 - instead, each item has three ranks, with most only offering a unique benefit after purchasing the final rank.

New players can also benefit from a system which will automatically buy items and/or abilities based on a premade list of recommended items. The recommended items aren't amazing - they seem to be standardized by archetype, so all physical tanks get the same items for example - but they offer new players the option to just focus on the gameplay instead of on their inventory. Advanced players can set up favourite items, which appear on their own tab in the item purchase screen.

Theme

As someone who has always held a fascination for both mythology and religion, the game's theme was instantly attractive.

In Smite, you assume the role of a god (or powerful being) drawn from one of several religious pantheons. Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Hindu, Chinese and Mayan deities all make an appearance.

If you've ever wanted to see Thor try to call down the thunder on Hades, god of the Underworld, you'll get your wish in Smite.

The characters are depicted colourfully and each has a unique silhouette, making it easy to distinguish them on the battlefield. The abilities given to each god are consistent with the domain of the god in question. For example, Loki's reputation as a trickster is embodied in his ability to turn invisible, create decoys, and teleport to foes.

The environments are similarly (and excellently) styled. The assault game mode takes place in the snowy mountains of Midgard, while players in the domination mode fight over obelisks in the desert of Egypt.

The developers are also slowly overhauling the general visual theme of the game, making it somewhat darker and more realistic than it is now. They recently changed the Joust (1v1) map to this new style and are apparently working on the others.

I will note that the depiction of the female deities has been the source of some controversy, especially on Reddit. All of the female deities (with the exception of Freya) take to the battlefield in high heels and all have wildly-varying degrees of bodily coverage. It's definitely not the most forward-thinking depiction of women in video games.

The gods all come with lore about the deity in question, too. You can tell that Hi-Rez Studios really did their homework.

Pricing Model

I've always held a cetain admiration for ARTS and MOBA games. I did play some DotA on Warcraft III, but League of Legends failed to grab me the way it grabbed so many others: the prospect of purchasing all those heroes quickly dampened any enthusiasm I had for the game.

Smite is currently in open beta and is free-to-play, but with some restrictions. Thankfully, they offer some solid options for getting around those restrictions.

Smite has some gods that are always free, while a rotating selection from the remaining gods is free on a monthly-ish basis. Also, you can try any god for free in any of the practice modes, where you play against computer opponents but can bring along some friends for your team if you want.



All gods in the game can be purchased using a currency called favor. Favor is earned from playing the game, and you also receive bonus favor via goodwill, which is earned if you consistently stay in games without quitting and aren't reported constantly by your teammates.

What this means is that you could try out all the gods in practice modes, and then save up your favor to buy the one you like best. Theoretically, you could eventually buy every god using favor, though this would take a really long time.

The game also offers the Ultimate God Pack, which costs $29.99. You get all current and future gods when you buy it. You also get a refund of any favor you spent on gods before buying the pack. This is basically the  "full version" of the game right now, but is supposedly a limited-time offer while the game remains in beta.

Favor can also be spent on some alternate skins, mostly recoloured versions of the initial skins.

For premium skins and for voice packs, you'll need to fork over some real cash to get gems. The premium skins are all pretty creative, with many of them coming with custom sound effects and/or animations. My favourite turns He Bo, a Chinese river spirit, into He Bro, a surfer dude.

Surf's up.

Conclusion

Smite has a lot to offer fans of the MOBA genre, and I anticipate it will continue to pick up steam. Many gamers now start by cutting their teeth on MMORPGs instead of on the RTS games of yore, and this refreshing take on the genre will appeal to them since the controls are instantly intuitive.

If you like MOBAs, you owe it to yourself to at least give Smite a try... but if my guess is right, you'll love the new approach to MOBA combat that it offers.

Pros

• Keeps a lot of what is good about MOBAs while simplifying some things (like building items)
• Great integration of theme into the game with beautiful art and skins
• Hard to argue with free
• Good selection of gameplay modes
• Goodwill system tends to curtail "dodging" or leaving games early in non-ranked play
• "Try before you buy" for gods using practice modes

Cons

• Matchmaking seems off at times (I've been matched a few times against max-level players when I'm barely 20)
• Time or money investment required if you want to play with all gods
• Some additions and changes needed for competitive scene to really take off

E3: Warhammer 40K MMO, Eternal Crusade, Announced

Image Source: Eternal Crusade's Facebook Page

Here's some big news coming out of E3 for those among us who love Warhammer 40,000: an MMO is in the works and is slated for release in 2015.

The game is called Eternal Crusade and features four factions: the Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Orks and Eldar. It is third-person and though details are limited since the game was just announced, it claims it offers "precision gunplay" and will have "challenging procedurally generated content". It will also offer players the chance to pilot ground vehicles. Seems like we'll have some PvE as well as PvP in this game.

The game is being developed by Montreal-based developer Behaviour Interactive.

You can opt in on the official website here. As well, you can follow them on Twitter and on Facebook.

Those of you who follow MMOs or Warhammer 40K may remember the anguish you felt when Dark Millenium, previously slated to be an MMO, was downgraded to a single player experience. Finally though, it looks like we'll get our WH40K MMO after all.

Needless to say, we'll be keeping you updated as we get more details about the game. The Eternal Crusade team mentioned on Twitter that a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" is forthcoming, so we will likely get more details at that time.

Bundles: Humble Double Fine Bundle

The bundle avalanche continues with Humble Bundle doing a Double Fine based deal.

The deal breaks down like this: Pay what you want for Costume Quest, Psychonauts and Stacking. Then at the current minimum of $8.02 you get Brutal Legend as well.

From there the bundle is a little different with what unlocks at the higher tiers.

At $35 or more you also receive a pre-order of the point-and-click adventure game Broken Age.

Finally at $70 dollars or more you also receive a t-shirt with worldwide shipping included.

Other than that some soundtracks are also included. Keep in mind that there is a one dollar minimum for steam keys.

Trailers and summaries of each game are available at Humble Bundle.

The bundle will run for two weeks and end on May 21.

Gaming Bundles: Bundle Stars and Groupees (Meridian 4 and 1C bundles)

Two Worlds II is one of the bigger names in any of these bundles. (photo credit: twoworlds.wikia.com)

Today there are a number of bundles available for purchase, that makes today an exciting day.

1. We will start with Bundle Stars and their "Indie Jam 2" bundle. This bundle consists of nine games, eight of which are for Steam and currently for the minimum price of $5.14.

But what are the games? Well the one that stands out is Two Worlds 2. However, there are a few recognizable titles in this bundle, such as Shattered Horizon and Nuclear Dawn.

All together the games included are..

Steam: Shattered Horizon, Nuclear Dawn, Two Worlds 2 - Castle Defense (what?), Planets Under Attack, Iron Grip: Warlord, Ion Assault, X-Blades and Two Worlds 2.

Desura: Holy Avatar vs. Maidens of the Dead.

Trailers, info on the games included as well as the bundle itself are avalable here http://www.bundlestars.com

Note: The original Indie Jam bundle is also still available.

2. Next up is Groupees, who have two bundles available.

We will start will the Build A Meridian 4 bundle. This bundle operates a little differently from others. This is because you can choose how many games you want from it, from three to 11 and the minimum price adjusts with that.

The games included are...

Steam: Larva Mortus, Penguin's Arena: Sedna's World, Crash Time 2, Pacific Storm, Grotesque Tactics: Evil Heroes, Scratches - Director's Cut, Greed: Black Border, Space Trader: Merchant Marine, Obulis, Vigil: Blood Bitterness and Tank Universal.

GOG: Shadowgrounds.

Bonus: RIP - Trilogy

Descriptions and trailers for the games as well as the bundle itself are available at http://groupees.com.

3. Lastly we have another bundle from Groupees. This is called the "1C Company Groupee."

There are two tiers of this bundle. The first is a one dollar minimum for which you get Ascension to the Throne (DRM free) and Men of War: Vietnam - Special Edition.

The second has a four dollar minimum. It includes the two previously mentioned titles as well as Konung 3: Ties of the Destiny (DRM free) and Kings Bounty: Platinum Edition.

Kings Bounty is a strategy-RPG that is a deal itself for four dollars. (photo credit: http://www.kingsbountygame.com)

An announced bonus for this bundle is Death Track: Resurrection, which will unlock when 2,500 bundles are sold.

Descriptions and trailers for the games as well as the bundle itself are available at http://groupees.com.

Why You Should Try Dota 2 (and Other ARTS Games)

The rise of the ARTS (Action Real-Time Strategy) genre has been meteoric indeed. With the recent hype surrounding League of Legends's Championship Series, I thought that revisiting the genre (and why you should try it) was important. After all, at one point, 165,000 people were watching the LCS finals games on the League of Legends main site alone. That's without counting auxiliary streams!

It's obvious that a lot of people care about the genre. Some of them care a lot.

For many of us though, the ARTS genre remains a mystery. There is no doubt that it is popular, but many of us just haven’t had the chance to engage with it. Where did this phenomenon begin? What’s the hype all about? And, perhaps most importantly, why start playing now?

The Mod that Started a Genre

The first commonly-accepted example of a ARTS was Aeon of Strife, a custom map for StarCraft. In the map, each player controls a hero that levels up during the course of the battle.

The Warcraft III incarnation of DotA.

This concept was further refined in the form of Defense of the Ancients (DotA), a custom mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. The objective was to destroy the other team’s ancient, located in their base. Still using an RTS-style interface, each player took on the powers of a particular hero. These were based on units from Warcraft III, but the player controlled no other units–just the hero. Automated NPCs called “creeps” travelled on predestined paths toward the enemy base, and there was no base management since these “creeps” spawned automatically at set intervals.

Defeating enemy computer-controlled units as well as enemy players granted XP and gold, allowing heroes to level up and purchase powerful items. The unique composition of each team and the tactical decisions made during the course of the match would determine the outcome.

The mod was intensely popular and spawned several spin-offs. One of the hallmarks of the mod from the very beginning was the emphasis placed on game balance and on keeping the game competitive. This aspect of the mod’s design would carry over to its successors and is part of what made the genre so popular.

The Genre Emerges

Demigod was the first commercially-produced standalone title in the ARTS genre when it was released in 2009, but a troubled release including bugs and server problems meant that it received mixed reception from both critics and users. In addition, while it was definitely a member of the genre, it was evident that it was trying to appear aesthetically and thematically different from DotA. It also lacked some of the highlights of DotA, like a large and varied character selection.

League of Legends wasn't hiding the fact that it appreciated the DotA formula.

The first standalone game that was both a title in the genre and a spiritual successor to DotA is undoubtedly League of Legends. While Riot Games, the developer and publisher of the game, tried to redefine the genre’s name (opting to call it a MOBA, or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) to move it away from its DotA heritage, the experience was undoubtedly based in the original mod.

Riot Games also managed to make the game a resounding financial success by appealing to their players’ competitive nature. Some heroes were free to play, but others required that you purchase them from the store in order to play them. Some heroes would have limited free periods, so you could see the hero in action before you purchased it. Though you could technically play League of Legends and spend nothing to do so, not many people did. Riot showed the world that the model worked and that the genre held great profit-making potential.

On the other hand, Riot’s monetization of hero selection was criticized by some players. The dedication to balance and a competitive environment that began with DotA was harder to maintain, since a player would need to spend money to get additional hero choices. In addition, some players claimed that new heroes tended to initially be (or to seem) slightly more powerful than older ones. Some theorized this was an attempt to encourage players to purchase the new hero to gain a power advantage.

Still, you can’t argue with results. The impact of League of Legends’ emergence had been felt, and other companies would answer.

The Next Wave

The next major title to be released in the genre was Heroes of Newerth, from S2 Games. The game featured a steeper learning curve and was less forgiving than League of Legends, and in some ways this was more in line with the original DotA mod. Active abilities were used less on creeps and more for harassment. Mana conservation was more important. Like the original DotA, there was no way to recall to your base outside of specific items.

Heroes of Newerth in action.

The game did gain significant converts and showed that multiple games in the genre could co-exist if they were mechanically different enough. Though both games were undoubtedly based on DotA, they each had a niche: HoN was trying to cater to the more competitive, original DotA audience while LoL had expanded the genre and pushed it to the forefront.

Heroes of Newerth did eventually convert to a free to play model, as well–however, unlike League of Legends, the purchasable items are now mostly cosmetic.  S2 has announced that in the future no restrictions will be placed on hero selection (besides early access to the hero).

Dota 2 Arrives

Some of the characters available in Dota 2 - all of whom are free from the beginning.

Dota 2, produced by Valve Corporation in association with IceFrog (one of DotA’s creators), shows promise as the latest major entry in the ARTS genre. As with so many of their games (see: Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2, Portal), Valve hired the talent and worked with them to make sure they got the game that they wanted. They also went with Dota 2 as opposed to “DotA 2”, as they believe that Dota has become its own concept.

It is currently in beta, so while you can’t guarantee a free invite, you can guarantee yourself a paid one. Many free Dota 2 invites were given out to beta participants, so you may already have a friend who has some lying around - I know I do. In addition, these invites can be purchased on the Steam Marketplace, and most of them are cheaper than a dollar. Getting in to the game isn't difficult or expensive.

And what a game it is!

Valve’s well-known talent for polish takes the ARTS experience to a whole new level. The spectating system is easy to use and allows you to learn the game by watching others play. There is a full in-game encyclopedia of all heroes and items available. It is clear to me that Valve has designed this game to be playable and user-friendly from the moment the floodgates are opened and it becomes publicly available. High-profile tournaments are held and advertised within the client itself, on the main page. The main page itself is beautiful and easy to navigate and the UI generally is just a thing of beauty.

And, as a kicker, all the heroes are free.

That’s right, all of them. The purchasable items in the Store are cosmetic or fun items. Think of it much like the inventory system in TF2, except that the items have no additional effects. Valve has continued their crate metagame, wherein you can pay for a key in the Store to unbox a crate containing a random item that you may sometimes receive after a game. There are also extremely entertaining Announcer Packs, which change the default announcer’s voice to a different one. Again though, these are entirely optional.

I’ll get this out of the way right now: Dota 2, as a game, is less forgiving than League of Legends. The difficulty and technicality of the gameplay is much more in line with the original DotA than with LoL. There are critical moments in the game like during early-game gank attempts, or during mid- to late-game team fights that you’ll have trouble identifying at first. If this is your first ARTS, you will probably suck badly in your first few games.

I know I did, and I still do.

The characters are mostly-faithful recreations of their original DotA counterparts. Earthshaker, seen here slamming the ground, is the much-loved Tauren Chieftain.

There is some learning to do if you’re new to the genre. Initially, you’ll probably struggle with some of the following: risk management, which items to purchase, how much punishment you can take, and what the other heroes around you are capable of.

That may sound like a lot, and it is. But these things come with experience, so you shouldn't be discouraged if you aren't an instant professional. What I recommend is finding a group of friendly people to help you along. Unfortunately, these types of games aren't known for friendly, welcoming teammates when queuing for random games.

If you don’t have friends to play with, look for a regular group or just watch some games for a while. If you want to get used to a particular hero, you can play a practice game against bots. The bot AI in this game is actually pretty decent, too.

Having said that, if you can push past the initial frustration, there is incredibly deep gameplay waiting for you on the other side. Communication, coordination, and proper use of abilities are crucial to success. Again, I confess to be terrible at the game still, but I am starting to see the little strategies and tactics that can make a difference. The detail-oriented gamer in me squeals with glee when I see these in action.

I really think Valve’s model and their beautiful, user-friendly client are the future of this genre. Dota 2 is beginning to make inroads into competitive territory. The game is amazing, and for all the reasons listed above, you should check it out. If you don't want to buy an invite off the Marketplace, you can sign up for a free invite here.

This is an updated republication of a previous piece written by the same author. Both the author and site owner have allowed for its republication here.

How do you feel about ARTS games, or League of Legends or Dota 2 specifically? Let me know in the comments!

Steam Deals: Some new week-long deals

Steam has some games on sale for the week ending on May 6.

Some of the games on sale are:

BC Kings $1.24
Legendary $1.24
Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals $1.24
4 Elements $2.00
Sol Survivor $2.49
Closure $3.39
Snapshot $3.39
Puzzle Kingdoms $3.74
Cave Story+ $4.99
Stealth Bastard Delux $4.99

These deal take off around 50-75 percent of the normal price on the games and are worth looking into.

Stealth Bastard Delexe, at work. (photo credit: Steam)

Gaming Bundles: Indie Royal - Lunar Bundle

The Indie Royal Lunar Bundle is now live.

At the time of this post the current minimum price is $5.44.

The price of the bundle fluctuates based on what others have paid. If people pay more than the minimum the price will go down and when people pay the minimum it will go up a cent or two.

The bundle includes four known titles as well as three that have not yet been announced.

The announced titles are Pid, Cargo Commander, Back to the Future: The Game and Dungeon Hearts.

Trailers and descriptions for all of the games are available at www.indieroyale.com

Opinion: Digital Storm could make buying a pre-built gaming PC... affordable?

Digital Storm's website offers a full components breakdown. (Photo Credit: Digital Storm)

Yeah, I'd be blinking out of disbelief too, if I didn't write the headline myself.

Digital Storm is marketing a new line of pre-built computers that, price-wise, appear very competitive with building the system yourself.

For many PC gamers, building a PC is a sort of perennial or bi-perennial tradition. You spend a while doing research as your old machine hangs on for dear life. You squee over the clock speeds on your prospective video card replacement. You read reviews of components for weeks.

Then, you put it all together, and the magic begins all over again.

Digital Storm's Vanquish line probably won't convince the above people (myself included) to stop building their own PCs and to start buying PCs from them.

What it could, and very well may do, is to convince prospective PC gamers who want performance machines to fork over the money for them via Digital Storm's website. The fact is that Digital Storm is entering an arena still primarily dominated by retail outlets like Best Buy and brand-name build websites that make no excuses for the price of their machines, like Alienware.

The challenge could be getting their name out there to their target audience. The old hands at PC gaming will continue to build their own, but how do you reach the person who buys the $1,499 Best Buy pre-built with the same (or worse) specs than your $799 build?

Hmmm... (Photo Credit: Best Buy)

Personally, I could see this company becoming the sort of go-to recommendation for those who build their own PCs but who can't (or don't want to) assist in building someone else's.

If the difference in price is, as Kotaku reports, really in the range of $40-60, you start to wonder how much money your time in selecting, purchasing, and then assembling those components for someone else is really worth.

While they may not be the components I would ideally select for my own build, it doesn't surprise me that the lower-end Vanquish systems tend to use AMD components since these are normally available at a lower cost. They aren't bad components by any means, just not what I would have used.

Also, there are people who really just don't want to build their own PCs. There's nothing wrong with that, and the Vanquish offers those people an alternative to other, more costly methods.

I, for one, will be keeping my eyes peeled for reviews of Digital Storm's builds.

News: Durango announcement coming on May 21

It's official: Microsoft will reveal their next console on May 21, 2013.

Codenamed "Durango" and nicknamed the "Nextbox", the highly-anticipated console will be revealed at the company's Redmond headquarters and will be streamed on Xbox.com, Xbox Live, and Spike TV. Games will be revealed 19 days later at E3.

The news broke via the blog of Major Nelson, AKA Larry Hryb, who is a member of the Xbox team.

Finally, we'll get answers to the many questions that have surrounded the console during this period of uncertainty, and we'll see if always-online requirements are something that the industry is willing to bank on.

Do you have any predictions for Durango? Leave them in the comments below!

Podcast: Episode 1 - Genesis

Our very first podcast episode is now up on Youtube for listening.

The topics discussed in the episode are the Nextbox rumours, what we have been playing and the first edition of Over/Under. Over/Under is where a game is chosen and then it's rating is discussed/debated between us.

The game this episode was Street Fighter 3: Third Strike.

Tornade and enjoy. Feel free to comment below too. What do you think of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike or the rumours of the Xbox 360's successor?

Earthbound coming to the Wii U Virtual Console

We all live in... (Photo Credit: VideoGameGeek)

Announced today is an exciting bit of news for retro gamers: the fan favourite Earthbound will be available in North America for the Wii U's Virtual Console.

Earthbound was initially released as "Mother 2" in Japan in August of 1994 and almost a year later in North America in June of 1995. Like that first release, Japanese gamers already have access to the game on the Wii U's Virtual Console. There is not yet a release date for Earthbound's North American debut on the Wii U Virtual Console, but its pending release has now been confirmed.

The original game, released for the SNES, was praised for its unique take on the RPG genre. The protagonists lived in a modern setting, as opposed to a fantasy world. They wielded baseball bats, ray guns, and frying pans as weapons and used psychic powers instead of magic. Hamburgers and sandwiches could be used to recover health.

Escargo Express: most reliable shipping in the country. (Photo Credit: lparchive.org)

In addition to this unique look at an RPG setting was a witty and irreverent sense of humour that permeated the whole game. You helped a band get out of debt, trapped zombies on "zombie paper", and recovered a trout-flavoured yogurt machine from a desert cave full of monkeys.

While a post looking back on this game is definitely warranted in the future, you should keep your eyes open for the game's eventual release on the Virtual Console.

Review: BattleBlock Theater

The wait is finally over. The Behemoth's follow-up to Castle Crashers has been released on Xbox Live Arcade (for now, hopefully it sees release on other platforms in the future) and it starts like this..

"Once there was a boat..."

And so a humorous narration of your character's short tale thus far begins. It won me over before I even knew the controls.

Once I did know the controls, I had a great time. The story and its delivery combined with fluid and fun platforming action made an addictive combo.

Just another day in BattleBlock Theater. (Photo credit: http://www.battleblocktheater.com)

Gameplay: If you have any experience with the platforming genre then you know what you are in for from a game-play standpoint. Namely jumping a ton and making your way through obstacles.

Aside from that there is a heavy collectible element to the game as it allows you to unlock new looks for you character as well as new weapons and tools used in the game.

These weapons and tools are of use for dealing with enemy cats in single player (it's a weird story) and then opposing teams in multiplayer.

Multiplayer: Speaking of multiplayer, this is where things get (more) interesting. There are a number of game modes. One of them, for example, is a basketball type mode where two teams battle for possession of a ball and attempt to throw it in the opposing teams net for points. Whoever has the most points after time runs out, wins.

I convinced a friend to purchase the game (our very own Cody Steeves) and after he played the solo story mode and got used to the game, we proceeded to play some multiplayer. First up was the co-op story mode.

Co-op play is much like single player but with added wrinkles like your partner crossing a bridge that is appears when you stand on a certain spot and having them reach over to pull you up after you make a leap with no bridge (since there is nobody to stand in the spot that makes it appear) and other teamwork type things.

We got off to a bad start but we figured out how co-op works quickly enough and became a pretty good team. I killed him with some badly timed fireballs (*cough* one or two on purpose) and he knocked me off of ledges now and then but other than that we did pretty well.

Eventually we got a little competitive and hit up the game mode known as Muckle (think death-match). We won more than we lost in that mode. We also had a cool team kill where I set some dude on fire and then Cody blew him into his teammate, which set his teammate on fire as well. Moments like that are when the game is at it's best. The mode plays a little like a simplified Super Smash Bros.

We then moved on to Challenge mode. This mode is all about getting through levels and trying to do it faster than the other team. At first we didn't do so well. We got stuck when we ran into a cat that threw fireballs and we displayed a comic amount of confusion in the process. That gave us a horrible time somewhere north of three minutes for the level. The good news is the other team only beat us by 20 seconds or so.

Other games modes include King of the Hill, Horse (ride a horse to team stables), Colour the World (think Tony Hawk Pro Skater's Graffiti mode) and others.

There is also the ability to trade items in multiplayer. This consists of going into a trading booth with another person and viewing their inventory, selecting what you would like and coming to agreement. You can trade prisoners, weapons/tools, gems and wool (currency). In my first trade a cool dude gave me something like 20 wool for free, which meant I was able to buy some new weapons at five wool each. Yay.

Music: The soundtrack is great, in fact I found myself wanting to hear the music more often. I even just left the game at the main menu for a few minutes a couple times to hear the music.

Not being a huge player of platforming titles these days I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy BattleBlock Theater, but between the gameplay, art style, narration, soundtrack and suite of multi-player modes I found a game I will be playing a lot of. Off to Challenge mode now.

Opinion: Why the next-gen rumour mill grinds my gears

Totally plausible.....
(Credit:http://www.stack.com)

Every 5-8 years the leading console platforms get ready to release a new system. While they slowly build up anticipation, the rumour mills slowly start turning.

The amount of rumours and what they say normally build up more hype than the actual press releases do. The rumours are ridiculous as well; everything from the consoles being on the same level as a $4000 computer to supporting games and video files for the previous systems.

The only way to get around these rumours is to keep an open mind on what you are hearing. It is highly doubtful the new XBox will contain a system that is more powerful than a $4000 gaming PC that can run the most graphically enhanced games. 

Reselling that console for $500 doesn't make any economical sense. Stay rational with your expectations, otherwise when the companies do release the actual specs, you may be sorely disappointed.

All of the "blueprints" being released annoy me as well. 

Most of them look as if they have been made in Photoshop and carry no real measurements or price points. I remember seeing a blueprint that would have made the console a foot and a half wide and 2 feet tall and that is with everything being stack upon itself inside, resulting in a cooling and overheating problem.

One of the many schematics that were "leaked"

I think the only way to avoid these rumours from starting is for the companies to release the actual schematics and console specs as soon as possible. I doubt that would ever happen though. 

I mean, what better publicity than a bunch of rumours that are ridiculous and absurd?

What console/platform do you game on? Which system will you upgrade to?

Opinion: "Get a grip" - Tactical Haptics could be part of the VR gaming we imagined as kids

Yeah... how awesome would this be? (Photo Credit: Fantastic Fiction)

I remember reading Rodomonte's Revenge by Gary Paulsen as a kid and thinking that a fully immersive game environment would be incredibly fun.

When Nintendo initially announced the Wii, I understood (perhaps reluctantly) that, despite the excitement instilled in me by Paulsen, I wasn't going to be fighting giant alien house flies while wearing a blast shield anytime soon.

Even so, the idea of having motion controls felt like a step in the right direction.

Alas, while the Wii did do some interesting things for the world of motion control, it really never felt like I was there. Without force feedback of any kind, swinging a sword didn't really feel any different from waving a conductor's baton. Likewise, pointing a remote at the screen mostly felt like... pointing a remote at the screen. It sure didn't feel like a weapon.

Ultimately, the game I spent the most time playing on Wii had no motion control features at all.

(Photo Credit: Tactical Haptics)

Enter Tactical Haptics. The company is working to commercialize technology developed at the University of Utah's Haptics and Embedded Mechatronics Laboratory.

Their design uses a Razer Hydra as the base, and adds in feedback in the palm through sliding sections which  can simulate the recoil of a firearm or the resistance of a blade as it strikes something.

In essence, it makes you feel the result of your actions, instead of just seeing it.

I'm not an expert on haptics or even on the technology used in the Razer Hydra, but the end result looks very interesting. I recommend taking the time to check out the video on Tactical Haptics' website. It states that the technology could be compatible with existing console motion detection... but my favourite part?

"This technology... could also make a formidable pairing with a head-mounted display for unprecedented levels of immersion and realism in a virtual reality environment."

With the Oculus Rift (another one of my eagerly-awaited technologies) on the horizon, we could make Paulsen proud sooner than we thought.

Twitch gamer accused of faking disability

A prominent Twitch.tv gamer has been accused of faking a disability in order to amass donations.

Streamer ZilianOP, whose real name is Angel Hamilton, had been streaming gameplay from Twitch under the pretense that he required the use of a wheelchair.

He had asked for donations based on wheelchair-related expenses previously, and according to Kotaku he had appeared in a video where he discussed the benefits of being in a wheelchair. The video has since been removed from YouTube.

The perception from the Twitch community was that Hamilton was entirely disabled. When, on April 5th, Hamilton suddenly stood up from his wheelchair before walking off-camera, people were understandably confused and angered.

Twitch has condemned the actions of both Hamilton and his girlfriend. As of the time of this writing, both Hamilton's Twitch account and his girlfriend's have been closed by Twitch. They have said that Hamilton's actions violated the terms of service and were a "slap in the face" to gamers with disabilities.

The Twitch broadcaster, Zilianop, did indeed have his channel closed and his partnership contract terminated on the basis of fraud. Moving forward, we'll be offering refunds to those who subscribed to his channel through Twitch. We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and the character demonstrated in this situation is truly reprehensible. His actions are a huge slap in the face to Twitch community members with real disabilities such as Aieron, and groups such as AbleGamers, who have helped spread a message of inclusiveness and positivity to not only the Twitch community, but gaming as a whole.

A Reddit thread about the event claims that Hamilton received over $8,000 in donations, though this number has yet to be confirmed by Twitch.

It should be noted that, as far as we know, Hamilton has never said that he is confined to a wheelchair, though it is fair to say that he implied it. It is important to consider the possibility that Hamilton is capable of some limited mobility, despite normally requiring the use of a wheelchair for day-to-day activities.

There has been no response from Hamilton as of the time of this writing. If the story develops, DarkPixel will update you accordingly.

Review: Devil May Cry

(Credit:http://www.invisioncommunity.co.uk)

The newest addition to the series that follows Dante; a demon hunter and demon spawn. This is a reimagining of the first game of the series that boasts impressive graphics and a new take on the characters, but falls short in the actual gameplay.

Overview:

This game is the epitome of the Devil May Cry series. It has sex, demons, gore, rivalries and it is overall grotesque. The protagonist of this game is the posterboy of the series, Dante and you get to meet with major characters such as Vergil and Kat.

In-depth

Graphics:

The graphics in this particular game are very nice, I played on the PC version so I am not sure how it looks to console users, but the lighting and texture filtering are well made and the little details in the demons are nice aspects. The whole game has a very doom and gloom artwork around it even when taking place in busy areas such as cities and factories. This style of artwork has always had a place in this gamer’s heart and they were able to take the normal everyday life of a city and destroy it in Limbo.

Combat:

The fighting mechanics are flashy and every single weapon can be linked together but even then some mechanics seem broken. The “grading” system the series has adopted also went from ridiculously hard in Devil May Cry 4 to the current “let’s mash all of the buttons together to get a new high score.”  In all seriousness the grading system makes you feel simplistic and doing really awesome combos aren’t worthwhile when you can get the same score with half the buttons.

Story:

What the game’s short story does offer though is strength.If you have ever done any research or played this series there is nothing more satisfactory than the final fight. Compared to other installments of the series I also really enjoyed all of the mini bosses, some fights were annoying including the spawn of Mundus fight where half the animations seemed choppy and out of place, but overall the levels were enjoyable. My only complaints are that the storyline is very short how the series remains linear. I completed my first playthrough after only 6 hours and with half the secrets unlocked. I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed.

The game itself has a plot very similar to the first game, even including the original antagonist.

The storyline is still the same linear script and story expected from this series (Insert sarcasm). Seriously, this game plays as any arcade game, you hit as many demons as you can while you follow the straight line that is the plot. The only redeeming quality is that you get to hit them with some cool objects, including a scythe but even that has been done before (Ahem, Dante’s Inferno).

Characters:

With the re-release Dante comes with a new look, no longer sporting his white hair he now looks more like your average everyday rocker even sporting the ripped jeans and mouldy longcoat. No character sports their old looks. Vergil is no different, he keeps his blueish white hair, but it better fits your grandfather and his bowler hat from the closet.

The script of this game feels forced. Not the nostalgic scripts that gamers expect from both Devil May Cry and Capcom.

The single curse word sentences threw me off. Some of it has meaning but a vast majority of it feels very forced.

The demons in this game are gross and I mean this in the best possible way. You have to fight a succubus. The kind of demon meant to seduce, that I am sure no man in their right mind would ever touch, I mean look at those rolls!

Pros:

-Flashy combat

-New weapons

-Appealing graphics

-Storyline stays true to the original series.

-The demons!

Cons:

-Weak combo-grading system

-Linear storyline

-You are dressed as a bum and your brother looks like your grandfather

-Short storyline

-Forced script

Final opinion:

This game was fairly well done, but for how much anticipation they had built up, I feel it just didn’t deliver. However if you are a fan of the series I do recommend adding this game to your collection. It is a breath of fresh air in some areas, the weapons are entertaining, the graphics are appealing to the eye and it stuck true to the original. If you haven’t played the other games, enter this game with an open mind.

Game Cover
(credit: http://devilmaycry.wikia.com)

What are your thoughts on Dante and Vergil’s new looks? Can they work their new styles? Or should the looks have stayed in the past?

Review: Tomb Raider (2013)

(Photo Credit: Digital Spy)

The most iconic female character in video game history, Lara Croft hasn’t had the best of times lately. Her misadventures in the Angel of Darkness released back in 2003 was a critical failure.

The fearless archaeologist disappeared until Crystal Dynamics released Tomb Raider: Legends in 2006 which put her back on gamers' radars. Now Lara is back in her (chronologically) first adventure and she’s better than ever in this reboot aptly titled Tomb Raider.

The game starts with Lara and her friends on an expedition to find the lost kingdom of Yamati. Their boat, the Endurance, encounters a freak storm and the crew wakes up stranded on an island with ruthless savages.

This is not the T rated Tomb Raider you’re used to. Crystal Dynamics took a very dark and mature turn with this game. Lara is beaten, choked, bashed around and slammed down.

You think you're having a bad day? Try seeing your friends dying, being punched by a buffed up guy, crawling away then falling down a water fall.

This is an M rated game all the way and that’s why it packs an emotional punch. You feel for Laura, and with that investment you want to play more and more.

Tomb Raider is linear for the first hour or two, but then opens up to a non-linear and beautiful island to explore.

The controls are some of the best I've experienced in a long time. They feel slick and you never battle with any of the buttons: it makes jumping, covering, shooting and climbing easy and fun.

Yes, you will think of Uncharted while playing Tomb Raider. The controls are basically the same, except Lara controls more fluidly then Nathan Drake.

This game has a lot to offer in terms of gameplay. You have the standard leveling up your weapons, your moves, your health with the experience points you earn by finding lost journal papers from your crew that are scattered around the levels, shooting enemies, finding artifacts, investigating them and raiding the optional tombs where you have to solve a mind bending puzzle to get a special reward.

You never feel as though your back tracking or playing the same level over and over again. One part of the island could be a mountain where you're trying to sneak around undetected, and the next you're hanging high up from an abandoned gondola lift.

(Photo Credit: GamerGuides)

As you progress through the game you actually feel like Lara is getting stronger and her character is evolving; not just physically, but mentally as well.

Lara starts out as a scared, nervous girl who is confused and helpless, but then by the end of the game she’s one of the most badass female characters we have seen in a while.

The main story is surprisingly long, clocking in at 15 hours for just the single player campaign to complete everything. Getting the 100 per cent achievement is probably going to take you a good 20 hours.

The voice acting for Lara is top notch. Camilla Luddington's performance enchants the player into believing this is a real human being. Her mannerisms, tone and even screams when the player fails to hit the right button during a quick time event feel real and authentic.

The same can’t be said for everyone else joining Lara. They are cookie-cutter characters with unbelievable dialogue and clichés we have seen in every other adventure game. The skinny guy with glasses that knows everything, the strong tribal tattooed cook and the best friend who gets captured are all present. But Lara’s character is so well acted and well written that it’s easy to forgive and overlook.

The online mode? Well it’s there, but that’s all I can say that’s semi-decent about it. The game is like every other online third person action game: kill, earn XP and repeat. You have your standard team deathmatch mode. There's Rescue, which is basically capture the flag mode with med packs as the flags. Cry for Help pits the survivors of the Endurance against the other team, with the survivors trying to activate a radio transmitter  The ubiquitous free-for-all  rounds out the available game modes.

(Photo Credit: Game Rant)

Nothing new and nothing original, and when playing online you get bored pretty quick. Some of the maps let you plant traps, but that’s as interesting as it gets. You level up after each round of play and the higher your level, the more guns and grenades you unlock as well as characters.

Character unlocking is just frustrating right at the start, because you really have no characters that are worth playing and you can’t even play as Lara, the star of the game, until you reach level 60. I am an achievement whore and I couldn’t even force myself to play to level 60. If I did, I would have jumped out the window due to the repeating maps, the dry game play and just uninspired online level design.

Tomb Raider is a great game and a surprise to me. I felt emotionally connected to the character. I was astounded and astonished by the beautiful graphics ranging from the intense sunlight shining on the island to the dirt and blood on Lara’s skin. The multiplayer we could have done without, and you probably will play it once then go back to the addictive single player.

This game is a possible contender for Game of the Year so far. There is just one question I pose to Crystal Dynamics: how the hell are you guys going to top this with a sequel?

A survivor is born and hopefully a great game franchise.

Welcome back Lara.