Review: The Last Guardian

Sean McCarthy

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Dec 31, 2016

The Last Guardian was almost an urban legend in video games. For the last ten years, it has been the elephant in the room for Sony and PlayStation at gaming events. It was first announced back in 2007 and was to be developed by Fumito Ueda, famous for games ICO and Shadow of the Colossus and was originally supposed to be an exclusive for the PS3. But years of constant delays and developer issues left it in video game limbo, with fans doubting it would every be released at all, even after Sony reported in 2012 that it was going to be developed for the PlayStation 4 console instead. Now at the end of 2016, The Last Guardian has finally released and it would prove to be a very interesting experience.

Of all the games I have both played and reviewed in 2016, it is almost ironic that the last game I do both with this year happens to be the one game that my opinion kept changing about it right up to the very final seconds. I came into playing The Last Guardian after avoiding almost all gameplay videos and trailers in the months leading to its release as I wanted to experience it for the first time myself. I am glad I did because this is a game which requires the player to form a very special and personal bond with the main characters for the power of the story and gameplay to have its intended effect.

The game opens with the player taking direct control of a young boy, who awakens to find himself in a strange place with no memory of how he got there or why he is suddenly covered from head to toe in strange tattoo markings. Coming to his senses he soon realises that he is not alone, next to him is a large animal wearing damaged armour and wounded by spears which are still stuck in the creature. What happens next is something that took me completely by surprise by its delicate delivery but immediate impact on me. Within minutes I found myself talking to this giant creature named Trico, just as I would with any animal such as a dog or cat upon meeting it for the first time. I instinctively knew that I had to gain Trico’s trust if I wanted to help it and to that I had to get close to it. I could see the spears that were causing it pain and stopping Trico from standing and that whatever battle it had been in had taken a toll on it. In what would serve as a fun tutorial section, I searched the area and discovered barrels containing a glowing blue substance and carried them to Trico, guessing they were food for this creature. The animation and mannerisms of Trico felt like those of a young puppy, and soon after feeding it, removing the spears and helping to take off its battered armour, I stood there looking at a magnificent beast indeed, and Trico looked at me back and a bond had been made between us.

The bond with Trico forms the main foundation for the gameplay in The Last Guardian. Not only do you have to navigate a way for you as the boy to explore and progress the area but you also have to find a way for Trico to come along as well. To begin with, Trico will learn to follow you and by using R1 to call to Trico, it will try to find you. The early sections will mostly consist of trying to help Trico by finding more barrels for it to eat and in trying to bring Trico with you as you move through this mysterious building. From finding and activating switches, to exploring to finding paths large enough for Trico to move through, the early stages of the game help strengthen the bond between Trico and the boy with a true partnership that grows stronger as the game goes on.

Soon Trico begins to help the boy more to navigate the surroundings, the charm of riding on Trico’s back as it learns to leap to different ledges or to help the boy reach high platforms to get to switches or more barrels to feed Trico. The natural evolution of this side to the gameplay is truly organic and wondrous to see unfold with some memorable moments such as seeing Trico leaping to the moment when Trico comes to your aid and fights to protect you when you encounter strange armoured guards who target you yet seem to have a strange understand of what Trico is. After such an encounter Trico will be all riled up and excited so when you pet Trico and see it relax and calm it down just as you might your own pet, it just makes the connection that much more special. This relationship is really the driving force as the game has little in the way of hand holding guidance with short lines of dialogue coming from narration triggered by certain progress in the game or when a new skill can be used. The narration is from the boy, much older, telling the story of this journey as though he is remembering it or telling it to someone else. It is an elegant level to the story telling that is told through each experience of the journey together.

I also have to say that The Last Guardian is simply one of the most visually stunning games I have played in 2016. The water coloured pallet visuals are more than just striking, they create a world that is breathtaking at times in the level of detail in each structure, area and environment. The animation of Trico alone is something rather magical with the feathers moving in a breeze or when the boy is climbing on Trico to the animation of the boy climbing, falling and how the emotion of a sequence is captured in how each character moves and reacts be it a tender moment between Trico and the boy or a dangerous encounter with both fighting for each other. The visuals are complimented by a beautiful musical soundtrack that enhances the emotion in the game and story so succinctly throughout the game and especially in the later stages and ending. For a game that was lost in developer limbo for almost ten years, you can see why such it may have proven so difficult to bring so many amazing elements together to finally bring the story of The Last Guardian to life. But sadly, not everything benefited from a long development.

Sadly perhaps the greatest strength of The Last Guardian is also its biggest problem. To create the bond between the boy and Trico to drive the story and experience to the level it needs to get to, a great deal of effort has gone into giving Trico its personality traits and behaviour through its AI. In the beginning it is almost charming when Trico is stubborn or misbehaves. But the final third of the game requires Trico to be more willing to do as it’s told and to react to situations in set pieces in order for the game to continue. But that stubborn trait can become a really frustrating mechanic when you require Trico to do something and it just refuses to do it such as a moment when you become stuck on a tree after a fall with no way to free yourself and Trico will just sit there, staring at you. Clearly this is supposed to be a lovely little moment in the game where Trico rescues you but for me, no matter how much I mashed buttons and called to Trico to get its attention, for ten minutes Trico just walked about until it finally decided to lift me off the branch. This happened far too often for key sequences that followed the same formula and it proved to be an experience breaking problem whenever the essence that makes Trico so amazing a character also becomes a hindrance at moments it needs it to be a much smoother element.

Then you also have the glaring issues of the pain in the butt camera which also serves as a hindrance at times when the game calls for very fiddly and precise climbing or platforming as the boy or with Trico. The controls as well at times can feel very last gen, which considering The Last Guardian was originally a PS3 title, haunts the gameplay as each face button on the controller is a different action button which in 2016 is rather a unique way of doing a control scheme for a platformer and feels a little unnatural. There are puzzle sections that follow big set piece moments of the game that can at times break the pace and flow of the experience which felt unnecessary and adding an element of grinding the same gameplay that could have been cut out and would have lost nothing once the bond between the boy and Trico is set in stone.

My feelings about The Last Guardian would chop and change throughout my playthrough of it. One moment I would be in awe at the spectacle and wonder of this world and its characters to shouting at the TV and rage quitting when Trico or the gameplay would become a frustrating mess and shattered the experience. But following those moments of frustration would be truly outstanding memorable moments that would grab hold of me and bring me back into all the good things about this game. Persevering through the frustrating times to reach perhaps one of the most mesmerising game endings not just of 2016 but in recent years just made this an experience worth that long wait for. Now after the festive season is over, prices have dropped for this and there is no better time to pick it up.

The good far outweighs the bad in The Last Guardian, and as I write this the day after completing the story, I am still mulling over the experience enough to make me want to return and experience the story again.

Review: Does the Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus strike gold again?

Chris Hare

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Dec 30, 2016

1

Review: Does the Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus strike gold again?

With Wileyfox entered the phone market last year with the Swift and the Storm smartphone market. We are now a year later and that means it’s time for successors, in this case only of the most successful of the two phone. The Wileyfox Swift 2 and Plus must continue the Swift’s success. Priced at £189.99 with three different colours from Midnight Blue, Champagne Gold and Rose Pink.

Design
More and more manufacturers are beginning to equip their new handsets with expensive housings that are not made from cheap plastic. But with the Swift from last year had a plastic body, but with the Swift 2 Plus now a metal shell. This alone is slightly different at the back are to be found two plastic bars at the top and bottom that are likely to provide for the receipt of the device. The metal casing the device feels a lot more expensive than he actually is, since you would rather expect a plastic housing with an inexpensive device.

In the box you get the Swift 2 Plus and the USB type C but no charger you need a Quick Charge 3.0 for fast charging

Screen and Hardware
Although the Swift 2 Plus is not equipped with the fastest hardware present, the unit does its job perfectly. Wileyfox has 5 inch screen equipped with an IPS LCD technology and a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels. This resolution is a 5-inch screen is still just fine, allowing both text and images are sharp enough looked. A higher resolution had perhaps better seen, but the average user will not notice the difference.

The screen performed in other areas also excellent. The display’s viewing angles showed no weird colour shifts while the automatic brightness worked properly.

sim slot 1 and 2 slots or 1 sim and one microSD slot for extra storage

Under the hood of the Swift 2 Plus is a octacore Snapdragon 430 processor from Qualcomm which all calculations assumes along with 3GB of available RAM. Although this chip is no accounting monster he met more than fine for most tasks.

Fingerprint sensor on the back with NFC for all your payment needs

Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp are examples of applications that were using smooth and flowing. Also, starting from the most built-in apps went smoothly without noticeable hitches.

Key Specs

Screen size: 5-inches
Screen resolution: 1280×720 (PPI 294)
OS: Cyanogen 13.1 (at the moment will be getting Pure Android in early 2017)
Rear Camera: 16MP
Front camera: 8MP
Processor: Snapdragon 430
Memory: 3GB
Storage: 32GB + microSD
4G LTE: Yes
Bonus features: Fingerprint sensor on the back

Software
One of the unique aspects of Wileyfox devices is that they provide the British firm has CyanogenOS. This Android variation customize the look little, but adds in many places in the operating system tricks to which you can adapt it to your own preferences.

For example you can shuffle the order of the settings in the notification window or screen off by double-tapping on the notification bar. Also adjust the navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen and allows you to select the Cyanogen itself theme options which icons or colour you prefer.

Wileyfox itself provides virtually no additional apps along with the Swift 2 Plus. Some standard apps like the camera app and the launcher, are apps that belong to CyanogenOS. Other apps, such as the telephone and contacts app, again Google apps.

Besides the fact that the device thus contains no bloatware the interface is smoothly and quickly. Lovers of standard Android versions of Nexus smartphones will be able to pick up their hearts with the Swift 2 Plus.

Camera
The 16 megapixel camera Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus at the back does its job well, but not the best. In automatic mode, pictures are sometimes too dark either or overexposed. Now this is usually not a problem if you have the time to set the exposure of your photos, but for a few quick pictures is pretty annoying.

When recording videos is the same as when taking pictures. During filming, the camera app often the exposure, making the image occasionally toggles overexposed and dark. Selfie camera the other hand is doing great work, already supplies the 8 megapixel camera images that have somewhat faded colours. Cyanogen’s camera app offers no filters or other selfie options: do you have to look for another app.

Battery Life
The Swift 2 Plus has a battery capacity of 2700 mAh and also has built an energy-efficient processor. This meant in practice offers around 50 percent battery life surged at the end of the day. A light user should be able to get even two days, without the device having to load on a daily basis.

To between load Wileyfox has QuickCharge 3.0 device equipped with a handy feature that you come back normal only in more expensive devices. According Wileyfox you can see the Swift 2 Plus allows charge to 75 percent in three quarters, which we also did about during testing.

For this we had to use a different charger Wileyfox no adapter provides itself with the device.

CyanogenOS has built in different profiles for energy and can even switch between these profiles by app. For simple tasks can thus use an energy-efficient profile, and you can use all available processing power for games. If you only simple tasks on your device makes you so completely proceed energy efficient.

Conclusion
The Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus offers alot for a smartphone for the price. With a luxurious design, a decent screen and more than enough power for everyday tasks Swift 2 Plus is an excellent device in its price. The camera somewhat disappointing, but still produces ok photos, but you need to take the time to adjust the exposure. Additionally CyanogenOS offers many useful features, which real diehards can complete their hand putting the unit. The energy-efficient hardware, large battery and Quick Charge you additionally almost never without power.

With CyanogenOS closing down over Christmas 2016 is no more so what is Wileyfox going to do about this problem, read the quote from them below.

Please read this post from Wileyfox Facebook Page

In light of the recent news from Cyanogen, every Wileyfox user’s experience will remain unchanged – hooray!

This was expected and we are confident with the smooth transition planned in an upcoming over-the-air update for the entire Wileyfox product range that will migrate away from Cyanogen’s refocus strategy, and on to a purer Android experience – enhanced.

We strongly recommend that all current and future users accept the upcoming update request to ensure they are on-board for the future. This will include the ability to maintain the same experience as before and the added ability to partake in updates and upgrades to the software in the future.

We will continue to push this update to your device, and for new users we again recommend they download and install this update upon purchase.

We have been ruthlessly testing this and planning a distribution for this update, with a rollout to be released beginning today with immediate effect. Once this transition is implemented and users accept this upcoming update, our first order of business is to focus on delivering Android Nougat 7.0 across the portfolio beginning as early as February, and the entire portfolio by end of Q1 2017.

We value our customers above anything else, and therefore will now take full direct control on all such upgrades to ensure all devices, not just the flagship’s, will get these regular updates.

What this means is we at Wileyfox are still committed to continuous security and Android updates for the entire user base (old, current, and new), a bloatware free OS, deeply integrated value added services, and a promise to maintain a no bullshit attitude to the Wileyfox user experience.

We hope you had an amazing Wileyfoxmas. We look forward to 2017 and beyond, in a Wileyfox world of no bullshit!

Review : One for All Amplified Indoor Aerial SV 9495

Andrew Edney

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Dec 30, 2016

0

Review : One for All Amplified Indoor Aerial SV 9495

Not everyone has an aerial point available where they need it or has the ability to have an external aerial, so an option open to you is to use an indoor aerial, and here is our review of the One for All Indoor Amplified Indoor Aerial SV 9495.

Flat, standing or wall mounted it will blend into any interior. Capable of receiving all your favorite channels in 4K Ultra HD, whether it is television (DVB-T/T2) or radio (DAB+). The unique Automatic Gain Control ensures optimal gain at all times. Plug it in and start watching immediately.

What’s in the box?

The box contains the aerial, a power supply, stand, screws for wall mounting and a guide.

A Closer Look

Final Thoughts

The aerial is rather thin and very lightweight. It comes with both a stand and wall mounting screws, and as well as those you can even lay if flat on a surface, depending on where you want to put it.

Plugging the aerial in and setting it up was very simple – tuning it into the TV also found a few more channels than my last aerial!

There is an automatic gain control feature on this aerial so you don’t need to worry about changing the gain yourself, it’s all taken care of for you. You can choose to switch off the LED for this if you don’t want to see it all the time.

There is a signal strength indicator on the front of the aerial – again, this can be switched off if you don’t want to see it.

The aerial is compatible with DVB-T/T2 programmes broadcast in 4K Ultra HD format – although theres not too much of that content, yet!

It also has an active noise reduction filter for blocking out 4G and GSM signals in order to give you a much clearer image.

The picture quality was excellent – we didn’t get a single channel with a poor picture and we managed to find over 120 TV channels with this aerial.

The One for All Amplified Indoor Aerial SV 9495 retails for £64.99, and if you want a very good quality indoor aerial then look no further.

You can learn more from the One for All website.

Book Review : A Gremlin in the Works

Andrew Edney

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Dec 30, 2016

1

We take a look at A Gremlin in the Works and take a trip down memory lane to reminisce about Gremlin Graphics and the games I used to play as a child.

With the British computer game scene about to explode, a small shop appeared on Sheffield’s Carver Street called Just Micro. It was founded by the partnership of Ian Stewart and Kevin Norburn, both with retail backgrounds but a desire to get into the business of games publishing. Fortunately the shop attracted local talent such as Pete Harrap, Shaun Hollingworth and Tony Crowther, and so, in 1984, Gremlin Graphics was formed.

This lavish 572 page book plots the course of the company, from initial successes with Monty Mole, Jack The Nipper and Thing On A Spring, to its ground-breaking Lotus-branded racing games, and eventual purchase by Infogrames in 1999.

Officially endorsed by founder Ian Stewart, A Gremlin In The Works by Mark Hardisty features interviews and anecdotes from all of its key members, including Chris Kerry, Ben Daglish and Greg Holmes, along with stalwarts of the UK gaming scene: Rod Cousens, Tim Chaney, Jeremy Heath-Smith, Geoff Brown and Infogrames founder Bruno Bonnell among many others.

Filled with game imagery, memorabilia and archive material such as old letters, business cards, staff photos and game design documents, this is an exhaustive and comprehensive chronicle of one of Britain’s best-loved developers, and a fascinating exploration of the meteoric rise of the gaming scene in the ’80s and ’90s.

The finished book is 572 pages long which is spilt into two volumes. Both volumes are housed within a heavy board full-colour slipcase. Each volume will lovingly printed to the highest standards using CMYK and Pantone inks.

As someone who grew up with a ZX Spectrum in the 80’s playing all the Gremlin Graphics games, this two volume set really was a trip down memory lane.

The first volume covers 1983-1989, from the very beginnings of Just Micro, through Wanted: Monty Mole and more. There are interviews, artwork, screenshots, drawings, everything a fan wants and more! I was 11 years old when Wanted: Monty Mole was released and I loved it!

The second volume covers 1990 through to 2015. One of the really interesting chapters in volume 2 deals with some of Gremlin Graphics cancelled games. It’s really interesting to get an insight into what was planned and what happened.

The books themselves are very high quality and are a must for anyone who used to play Gremlins Graphics games or for anyone who just wants a really great set of retro gaming books for their collection.

Mark Hardisty has done a fantastic job pulling this collection together, and I will be reading it all again!

A Gremlin in the Works is available now priced £29.99, although Bitmap Books have it on special offer for £23.99.

You can learn more and order A Gremlin in the Works from Bitmap Books website.

Win a TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music GPS Fitness Watch

Andrew Edney

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Dec 29, 2016

328

Win a TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music GPS Fitness Watch

Back at the start of December we reviewed the TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music GPS Fitness Watch – now you can win it!

This is how TomTom describes the new TomTom Spark 3:

“There is a new addition to the fitness range of watches at TomTom Sports. We have listened to what matters most to fitness enthusiasts, and redesigned our Fitness GPS sports watch to create the ultimate fitness companion. Meet the new TomTom Spark 3.

The Spark 3 is targeted towards fitness enthusiasts between the ages of 25-50 who are consciously trying to stay fit, work out sporadically and concerned about how they look. They seek a product that can fulfil their range of activity needs such as integrated music features, GPS tracking, Heart Rate monitor, and Route Exploration. They need a watch that will help them accomplish their fitness goals and track their success. Now you can train smarter with the all-inclusive TomTom Spark 3.”

How to enter to win

We are giving away a TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music GPS Fitness Watch worth £219.99.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to enter below:

Win a TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music GPS Fitness Watch

The contest closes on midnight on the 14th January 2017 and is open to UK residents only.

Learn more about the Spark 3 from the TomTom website.

Thank you to our friends at TomTom for the prize.

Review: The Walking Dead A New Frontier Eps 1 & 2

Sean McCarthy

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Dec 27, 2016

0

Review: The Walking Dead A New Frontier Eps 1 & 2

Many fans of Telltale Games have only just recovered from saving Gotham City in Batman: The Telltale Series and just a week after that series concluded comes the next chapter in the successful The Walking Dead series with ‘The Walking Dead: A New Frontier’ .Though this is the third season of the TWD main series, it is the fourth TWD game now from Telltale following TWD Michonne, a mini series released this year and a game that for me showed how tired this universe has become now with Telltale Games. There is a limit to how much the same formula can be considered entertaining by fans, so I was both curious and a little bit apprehensive to see what this next chapter would have in store.

So it has only been two weeks since I hung up my cowl and parked the Batmobile in the Bat Cave and now I am picking up whatever weapon is nearby in order to once again fight to survive against the threat of the Walkers. But this time Telltale are launching the series a little differently to previous releases in that they have released the first two episodes right away with the next instalment to release sometime in February 2017. The Ties that Bind Us Parts 1 & 2 aim to introduce us to a new group of characters trying to survive in the world so familiar to fans by now.

We meet Javier, a disgraced Baseball player who returns home to a rather less than warm welcome from his family after the passing of a relative. It is a really fast paced introduction to Javier and we really do not learn all that much about him as a person before he is quickly placed in the main character role of the story. The opening to part 1 does serve as a handy introduction to the TWD world for those playing this series for the first time and as a refresher for those returning to the series once more. Once the opening has fast tracked us into the main story we are left with Javier who is now travelling with his sister in law Kate and her two teenage step children, looking for food and supplies and a place to rest safely.

But where is Clementine, the main character in the first two seasons of TWD. Well for fans hoping to continue her story directly you may be disappointed to learn that Clementine has now become a side character in the story, and her appearance feels a little shoe horned into proceedings a little too hard for my liking. Her story is told via flashbacks where players can learn what became of her following the end to season 2 and what lead to her situation when she encounters Javier’s group. If you have played the previous games then you can import a save file from any device logged in with your Telltale account and this will bring your previous choices for her character into this game so the Clementine in A New Frontier is a result of playing those games. If you are new to TWD then the game will allow you to make certain conversation decisions that fill in the blanks of her history for this story. But having Clementine does feel familiar but for me it just felt as tired to see her forced into the story when its clear the focus is on Javier and his group.

Whilst attempting to refresh the TWD world, this two part premier still relies on the same elements in order to offer an all too familiar gaming experience. Player choice during conversations will shape relationships between Javier and the other characters and during the story itself, key decisions will take the story down one path instead of another. Sometimes these choices will rely on the player basing the decision on events that has just happened or in the hope of protecting the interests and safety of the group. The issue for me is that this no longer feels new or different enough. It still features one good group of survivors trying to avoid conflict with a larger and more dangerous group of survivors and ultimately the story will use this to drive events in a rather obvious way. Having two episodes immediately makes the story move at such a quick pace that I felt that I was making crucial choices without really knowing the people around Javier who himself is still a mystery really. The only person I did know enough to make decisions for or about was Clementine, but as she is just a side character at the moment, trying to make choices concerning Javier and his group felt clumsy.

Another issue with having two episodes to play right off the bat is that the first part’s attempt to create a impactful cliff-hanger ending completely fell flat for me because instead of spending a month to rethink my choices and take in the story whilst waiting for the next episode, I simply waited to compare my choices compared to other players before hitting A and starting part 2. The ending felt incredibly obvious with hints giving to what was going to happen no matter what choices I made to feel like I influenced the outcome. Part 2 as they so often do in a Telltale series delivered on a better story experience now that I knew the characters a little better and seeing some of my choices from Part 1, starting to really take effect. The Flashbacks with Clementine start to give a better idea of what happened to her before meeting Javier but still not giving any real sense of time frame to know when those events took place or how much time has passed between the ending of Season 2 and A New Frontier.

Even the introduction of another key character from the comic books and the TWD TV show did little to really get me invested in this story at this point of completing the first two episodes. I am happy with my choices made in that I felt no compulsion to go back and see how making a different choice would change the story. It all just feels a little too samey for me right now. With no new episode till February 2017, I just do not see what was gained by rushing into a new series of TWD so quickly after finishing their last release in Batman: The Telltale series. It would have been better to have launched this series in January, with two episodes ready to go, it would have made more sense to give the launch more impact then to rush it out for a festive release.

I still do not know what to make of Javier as a main character just yet. He is simply another survivor with young people he is responsible for, trying to keep them and him safe. The side characters fall into their natural place and the real intrigue comes from the flashbacks with Clementine and seeing her story told underneath the main story unfolding. The pace is very quick with Achievement pop ups for completing chapters feeling as though they progress without actually doing very much. The story so far is pretty much what you would expect from a TWD game and I cannot help but feel Telltale made a mistake in releasing a two part premier. Both episodes felt short, with Part 1 no longer then 90 minutes to finish. Normally at this point I would be saying that the second episode needs to kick up the action and story but we have had two episodes already and now a possible two month wait for the third episode.

Overall The Walking Dead: A Telltale Series ‘A New Frontier’, yeah a title that is longer than a few of the chapters in these episodes, is just average in almost every way. The story is rather standard; the new characters just a different take on the same TWD generic survivor and facing the same threats and dangers as previous games. This could have been one single episode for me and it should have been. Telltale Games of late have felt rushed to get out and to finish, Batman: The Telltale Series was completed in just four months and now we have a new TWD series that launched just a week after Batman ended and with two episodes that felt as though one was simply split in two for the sake of it.

A New Frontier is the fourth TWD game series and third for Clementine who seems to have become more of a plot thread vehicle though her story told by flashbacks maybe the only saving grace of this premier launch. Javier has failed to stand out for me so far as a main hero and events so far do not feel anything special or different enough to make A New Frontier stand out from previous game series.

Fans may be happy with more of the same, but it certainly needs to do something different in Episode 3 if this story is to become anymore more than “something to do until Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy releases”!

Unboxing the December 2016 LootCrate

Andrew Edney

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Dec 23, 2016

0

We managed to get December 2016’s LootCrate and we are unboxing it for you.

Each LootCrate has between 4 and 6 items geek and gamers items in it, all are licensed and exclusive to LootCrate.

The LootCrate always comes very well packaged.

Even the inside of the packaging is themed!

There is a LootCrate magazine with lots of features and information on the contents of the crate.

There is an Assassin’s Creed loot pin.

A Firefly Independents patch.

A photography book called Figure Fantasy.

A LootCrete Exclusive POP! figure from Assassin’s Creed The Movie.

And an fsociety t-shirt.

You can learn more about and sign up to LootCrate from their website.

Do you subscribe to LootCrate? If so, let us know what you think of it by leaving a comment below.

Win War Dogs on Blu-ray

Andrew Edney

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Dec 21, 2016

99

To celebrate the release of WAR DOGS, starring Jonah Hill, Miles Teller and Bradley Cooper on 4K, Blu-ray^TM and DVD 26^th December, we’re giving you the chance to win a copy on Blu-ray^tM!

Based on a true story, WAR DOGS follows two friends in their early 20s (Hill and Teller) living in Miami during the first Iraq War, who exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a 300 million dollar deal to arm the Afghan Military—a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government.

How to enter to win

We have three copies of War Dogs on Blu-ray to giveaway.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to enter below:

Win War Dogs on Blu-ray

Own WAR DOGS on 4K, BLU-RAY^TM and DVD 26^th December

For further information on WAR DOGS join us here
https://www.facebook.com/warnerbrosuk/ or follow @WarnerBrosUK

Win Rupture on Blu-ray

Andrew Edney

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Dec 21, 2016

87

To celebrate the release of Rupture on Blu-ray and DVD, we are giving away 2 copies on Blu-ray.

Young mother Renee (Noomi Rapace, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Prometheus) has her life thrown into chaos when she is randomly abducted, drugged and taken to a secret lab facility. As her captors traumatically experiment on her, Renee must discover why she was chosen and fight to escape her prison.

Produced by Andrew Lazar (American Sniper) and starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Chiklis (The Shield), Peter Stormare (Fargo), Kerry Bishé (Argo) and Lesley Manville (Maleficent), Rupture is a complex and terrifying tale of fear from writer/director Steven Shainberg (Secretary).

How to enter to win

We have 2 copies of Rupture on Blu-ray to giveaway.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to enter below:

Win Rupture on Blu-ray

Signature Entertainment presents Rupture on Digital 23rd December and DVD & Blu-ray from 9th January, 2017

Review: Steep

Sam Thompson

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Dec 21, 2016

0

It doesn’t seem all too long ago when extreme sports games were incredibly popular. Tony Hawks’s arcade fest of skating, everyone’s favourite snowy SSX, Skate’s take on thumbstick tricks, it was almost a saturated market. Nowadays however, it’s a rare sight to see such a game. In an attempt to revitalise the genre, Ubisoft Annecy brings us ‘Steep’, a snowboarding, skiing, paragliding, wingsuit-ing explorathon.

With plenty choice in terms of discipline, it’s tricky to find your favourite style of careering down an almost sheer cliff face. It’s not so difficult however to pick your least favourite, the paragliding. It’s not necessarily bad, or poor in design by any means, it’s just that, due to its very nature, it struggles to keep pace with the others in terms of thrill and excitement.

After you’ve gone through the tutorial, you’re probably in for quite the shock as to how intimidatingly large the playable area is; after all, it is an Ubisoft game. Of course with such an overwhelmingly large area to explore, there’re bound to be plenty challenges and events to stumble across. Sadly this brings about the first, and most significant issue with steep; being the mountain overview. Whilst the level of zoom that you can accomplish is fairly impressive, it pales into insignificance whilst trying to select an event. Not only is moving the pointer too slow and incredibly ‘sticky’ when you near a point, but due to the mountainous nature of mountains, the camera is constantly moving up and down. It feels as though you’re continually fighting against the zoom in button. As if this weren’t irritating enough, it’s rarely clear from a distance as to whether you’ve completed an event or not, meaning you’ll end up camera-wrestling a lot more often than necessary.

Whether you pick an event or just delve straight into a plummeting descent, one of the first things you’ll notice is just how inviting the snow looks. The slopes genuinely look fantastic, untouched drifts, jagged rocky outcrops and dense forestry all litter the landscape and are begging to be explored. Be it by snowboard, skis, wingsuit or paraglide, you’re free to explore and compete however you wish. On top of being able to switch between these at will, you’ll also level up the different disciplines by tackling things however you want. If you enjoy simply sightseeing and exploring the Alps through binoculars, you’ll level up the ‘Explorer’ style. ‘Freestyler’ rewards accuracy in terms of pulling off tricks, ‘Bone Collector’ lets you at least gain something from the many horrific crashes you’ll put yourself through; lastly ‘Freerider’ seems to be a mix of everything.

Whilst the tutorial could do with a little more focus on how to control your character and a little less on the many ways to share your experience with others, you’ll eventually start trying out some tricks. Using the thumbsticks and triggers, you can perform grabs, spins, flips and more. Combining tricks inevitably rewards more points but also increases the chances of a rough landing. I do wish the trick system went a little more in depth with the landings, as at the minute, you just release the buttons and the game sorts everything out for you automatically. As such, it doesn’t really give any feedback in terms of what you did right or wrong.

Due to the lack of a campaign, besides some odd moments where the mountains get all spiritual and start talking to you, it’s safe to assume that Steep largely relies on its multiplayer offerings. The game constantly tracks your runs, allowing you to both create challenges and also go back and view replays from a seemingly infinitesimal amount of angles and filters. Whilst it’s nice that you’re always put in the same world as other players, there are of course some issues with this. For one, it somewhat ridiculously relies upon a constant online connection to their servers. Meaning that if your connection (or Steep’s servers) have a wonky day, you won’t even be able to play the game. Another reason being, that there’s really not a lot to be gained from playing with others, besides discovering drop zones together. If I’m honest, I’d rather have the option to play alone and forgo the extra loading times.

If you need a change of pace from flopping helplessly down the side of a cliff, you can delve into the character customisation. Provided you can get past the distractingly blatant GoPro and Red Bull advertising, there’s a fair share of tinkering you can do. On top of being able to unlock new wingsuits, snowboards and the like, you can also purchase new attire with Steep’s in game earnable currency. After spending just a few hours on the game, I already had more than enough money to purchase at least a few different things for each slot; making it a refreshing change from the norm.

Steep can be a great amount of fun in short bursts, spending a quick half hour blasting your way down a perilous incline is a feeling absent from most games today. Issues do start to rise after spending a while with it however. Attempting to complete and clear events from the map becomes infuriating, the ambiguous trick system continues to confuse, and the unashamed Red Bull and GoPro product placements are a little too much. Keep your playtime low, and go in with a relaxed ‘I don’t have to complete everything on the map’ attitude however, and it might just keep you coming back.

Review: Dishonored 2

Sean McCarthy

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Dec 21, 2016

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The first Dishonored title was captivating with its visual style and multi route level designs. Playing as the masked assassin Corvo with his shadow powers was thrilling which ever way you played, either going full on sword swinging for a high chaos run or using stealth to achieve a low chaos ending. Dishonored had a rich story and gameplay that gave players a real choice in how they played and in the preview event for Dishonored 2 I experienced even more of the positives from the first game. It was finally time to get to grips with the full game, and it had a few surprises in store for me.

Dishonored 2 picks up the story fifteen years following the ending to the first game, with Emily Kaldwin now the Empress of Dunwall and Corvo serving as both her protector and advisor. Secretly Corvo has been training Emily in order to protect her from would be assassins and at night Emily goes exploring the rooftops of Dunwall to escape her royal responsibilities. Troubled times however overshadow Emily’s reign as a serial killer is busy at work, taking out anyone who has spoken out against the Empress leading to suspicion falling on Corvo and Emily as the nature of the killings and victims all look as though the Empress is wiping out her enemies. On the night of the annual remembrance of the former Empress Jessamine Kaldwin’s assassination, a surprise visit from Duke Luca Abele of Serkonos changes Emily’s life forever as he reveals a stranger with similar Void powers to Corvo who claims she is Delilah, the half sister of Jessamine and the true Empress of Dunwall by succession. Leaping to Emily’s defence, Corvo attacks the Duke’s men only to be stopped by Delilah who steals his powers.

Now the player finds the first clever twist to the game as the player can now choose who to play as during the game either Corvo once again or Emily. Whomever the player chooses will result in the other being turned to stone by Delilah and their choice of character will get the opportunity to escape Dunwall. From here begins a journey to unravel the conspiracy to take the fight back to Delilah, seemingly far stronger in Void power than Corvo was. Each mission will take on the objective of finding information to uncover more of the plot as well as taking out a target to try and weaken Delilah’s hold on Dunwall.

One of the most impressive things about the original game that has completely been enhanced for this sequel is the level design, the scale of which has grown more than I had expected. Just as before, the levels have a multiple route design allowing the player to find different ways to navigate their way around to complete the objectives. Each path option compliments a different style in whichever way the player chooses to tackle the mission. If you prefer to go guns to the wall then the level will place enough challenging enemies in your way to deliver a crazy battlefest for the player to fight through. If stealth is more your jam then the game offers even more ingenious ways to move around the area and buildings to reach your target. The level will tease routes to take just by taking the time to look around which is something I really admired about the design. Looking to see where enemy guards are patrolling in order to then look to find away to move passed them by either going around or under is a feature from the first game that returns.

For Dishonored 2 and being on current gen consoles, the level designs now include a new factor, verticality. Height is now an option to moving around with rooftops and walkways providing an extra dimension to levels which allow for players to craft how they use their powers to navigate around giving a real sense of freedom and player choice to the levels which is refreshing. This player choice also becomes an element into how the objectives are handled by the player. Levels will have a basic objective and target which normally requires getting into somewhere and dealing with the target. Where Dishonored 2 takes it to a new level is how exploring the mission and finding information about the target will allow the player to discover a different way of dealing with the target in a non lethal way for players doing a low chaos run. These options often require taking some time to set up the non lethal method by accomplishing the steps needed to execute it successfully.

Buildings also share the intricacy of design and in them is almost a whole new area in which to explore and navigate around. The most impressive of which is the Clockwork Mansion, the level I was fortunate enough to experience in the preview. This level is just exceptional in terms of design as switches activate transformations which literally will move rooms and change pathways throughout the mansion. Each main objective area is different requiring different tactics in order to tackle it and again will change depending on which character is chosen for the story. Corvo has his void abilities from the first game and in a very clever twist Emily has similar but very different Void powers to Corvo. If you have played The Darkness games then Emily’s powers will feel familiar. Emily’s Void powers are incredibly fun, from Shadow Walk allowing Emily to become a shadow creature to move stealthily to Domino, which links enemies together so the consequence of taking out one will effect each link in the chain. The Void powers give so much fun and range to the gameplay for either Corvo or Emily but the game will also allow you to go into the story without powers should you choose to refuse the Outsider’s gift.

Where Dishonored 2 immediately falls down for me came as a surprise, its visuals on Xbox One. The preview build I had played was on a high end gaming PC, and up to the point at which I was able to play the game myself, had watched friends streaming on PlayStation 4. When it came to playing it on Xbox One, I was surprised to see a dull greyness to the visuals which included a blurriness that was obvious. It just made the whole thing look like a very low level PC port instead of a bright and vibrant sharpness which the game has on PC and PS4. It proved an unwelcome distraction throughout playing and really took away from the experience for no real reason for it when you look at the remastered version of the first game on Xbox One which looks far superior to this one.

The combat has also been tweaked for this sequel which for me both improves it in some ways but also takes away from it by adding new frustrations to the flow of combat. In the original game, if you entered into combat you only had two ways of ending it, by either escaping or killing your target. Now if you were going for a low chaos run with as little to no killing at all, the combat spoiled it by only allowing you to kill the target if you couldn’t escape. Now you have the option to counter and knock out a target which protects the non lethal approach. Enemies are also more advanced in fighting, they can feint attacks to try and make you counter by mistake leaving you open to an attack and they can also shift position whilst attacking so whilst you think you are blocking an attack from the front they will and can hit you from the side. This gives the combat a really clumsy feel when tackling multiple enemies which will happen pretty much every time you are spotted and fail to escape. Being spotted will cause the guards to raise an alert which summons all guards in the area to that location. It is a punishment for being caught but at times it can really spoil the flow of the action leaving a sour taste during gameplay.

Overall whilst I enjoyed the story and exploring the levels and finding alternative ways of achieving the objectives, the visual downgrade for the Xbox One Version and the sluggish combat took away from my enjoyment. But as a sequel it adds on what the first game brought and has more than enough challenges to other multiple playthroughs especially with the option to play as two different characters. It is just a shame that the Xbox One version feels the weakest in terms of visual quality which so far Bethesda have acknowledged in their forums but have offered no solution in terms of an update to correct it.

Worth the wait but not the best experience of Dishonored 2 that I expected to have, but it is still enjoyable enough to continue the series on for fans.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier’ two episode premiere

Gaming
News

Chris Hare

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Dec 20, 2016

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The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier’ two episode premiere

Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment, announced today that The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier Episode One: ‘Ties That Bind’ Part I & Episode Two: ‘Ties That Bind’ Part II are now available for download.

These first two of five episodes in The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier are available starting today on PC from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, on the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One, and on the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 4. The episode will also be available this week for compatible iOS devices via the App Store, and for compatible Android-based devices via Google Play. Release dates for additional platforms will be announced in the near future.

When family is all you have left… how far will you go to protect it? Years after society was ripped apart by undead hands, pockets of civilization emerge from the chaos. But at what cost? Can the living be trusted on this new frontier? As Javier, a young man determined to protect his family, you meet a young girl who has experienced her own unimaginable loss. Her name is Clementine, and your fates are bound together in a story where every choice you make could be your last.

“We’re starting this dramatic new entry point to the series in a way that will surprise and intrigue existing players and newcomers alike, and there is no better way to do that than with an epic two-part premiere,” said Kevin Bruner, CEO and Co-Founder of Telltale Games. “We hope that all fans of The Walking Dead can enjoy this introduction to new player character Javier and his family, and that those already familiar with Clementine will be as excited as we are to see her mysterious return.”

John Wick: Chapter 2 coming soon now watch the trailer

Chris Hare

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Dec 19, 2016

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John Wick: Chapter 2 coming soon now watch the trailer

He’s back. Check out the new trailer for John Wick: Chapter 2 – in UK cinemas 17th February 2017, starring Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane and directed by Chad Stahelski.

In this next chapter following the 2014 hit, legendary hitman John Wick [Keanu Reeves] is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild.

Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world’s deadliest killers.

Watch the “Blade Runner 2049” announcement trailer

Chris Hare

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Dec 19, 2016

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Watch the “Blade Runner 2049” announcement trailer

Watch the announcement trailer for “Blade Runner 2049” set thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos.

K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

Out on the 6th October 2017, are you ready to step back in the world of Blade Runner.