I found the opening episode to this three part miniseries to be dull, repetitive of The Walking Dead story and a tired use of quick time events to break the monotony of a slow paced story. With ‘Give No Shelter’ serving as the middle chapter of the series, I was hoping for something to stand out and grab my attention. Sadly it only continued to disappoint and was an unenjoyable waste of just one hour of gaming time.
That is correct, it took just one hour to complete ‘Give no Shelter’ which has to be one of the shortest episodes of any TellTale Series I have played. I was taken back by just how quickly the achievements for completing each chapter were popping on my Telly screen. The first few chapters were made up of making player choices and some unexciting combat QTE sections which were quite frankly impossible to fail add Michonne and Pete try to escape the settlement ran by the brutal brother and sister team of Norma and Randall.
As Michonne is the focus of this miniseries, the choices the player will be asked to make will shape her character in the eyes of the player more than the other characters in the story, and ended up merely being black or white decisions. Though the story narrative does try to add some dramatic context to those choices overall you will either choose to let Michonne make a dark choice or try to give her a chance of redemption with a more light and humane choice. We do get to learn more about her past as the world fell into the zombie apocalypse, which has been the underlining story tease in revealing the traumatic event that Michonne is tormented by since episode one ‘In too Deep’, but with only an hour of gameplay, it is frustratingly used in ten minutes of flashback story telling.
I cannot escape the sensation that instead of a three part miniseries, Michonne could and should have been released as a single story experience. Episode one was dull and episode 2 is more dull and just too short. It would have been more enjoyable if it had been kept together as one spin off story told in the same style as the DLC ‘400 Days’ and has lost most of its story telling impact as a result of the split. Making it worse are the inexcusable drops in framerates and stuttering during cutscenes which is just poor forma TellTale title in 2016.
The Walking Dead – Michonne could and should be a more captivating telling of this fan favourite character’s story but after two rather weak episodes, it has been a squandered opportunity with a short story forced to be spread across three parts. The QTE sections are far too easy to be considered fun and the story takes too long to get to key points and far too quick to get the interesting character moments over with.
Episode three needs to deliver a big finish to salvage any positivity for me about this miniseries story experience. But sadly once again I find myself not enjoying this uninspired and poorly executed spin off that wastes the chance of doing something fresh with The Walking Dead universe and simply comes across as filler.
Get ready to go back to your favourite Turtles with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows out 30th May in the UK. With Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael return to cinemas this summer to battle bigger, badder villains, alongside April O’Neil (Megan Fox), Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett), and a newcomer: the hockey-masked vigilante Casey Jones (Stephen Amell).
After supervillain Shredder escapes custody, he joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) and two dimwitted henchmen, Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (WWE Superstar Stephen “Sheamus” Farrelly), to unleash a diabolical plan to take over the world. As the Turtles prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find themselves facing an even greater evil with similar intentions: the notorious Krang.
Thrustmaster has announced the TMX Force Feedback, which are official licensed for Xbox One and designed for Xbox One and Windows, which offers players on both platforms a memorable racing experience based on authentic sensations, thanks to a strong force feedback effect and an exceptional price-quality ratio!
Equipped with a high-performance force feedback motor offering adjustable intensity and a rotation angle ranging from 270° to 900°, the TMX Force Feedback delivers a realistic and versatile racing experience. The controller’s versatility benefits all players, whether beginners or seasoned pilots, with all types of tracks, cars and races.
Another example of this racing wheel’s versatility is its force feedback motor, designed by Thrustmaster’s development teams to offer performance suited to demanding players, while also remaining accessible to less experienced drivers. The motor features a mixed belt-pulley and gears system with metal ball-bearing axle. The result is a balanced combination of performance, robustness and precision. With 12-bit resolution – i.e. 4096 values on the wheel’s steering axis – provided by an optical sensor, this racing wheel also offers extreme precision, delivering highly realistic racing sensations. The racing wheel features a robust and adjustable attachment system, compatible with all mounts (desks, tables, cockpits, etc.).
Thanks to Xbox One-certified embedded software, the controller is automatically recognized by the video game console, which also ensures full compatibility with the menus in all racing games supporting racing wheels. And with the Thrustmaster drivers available for free download from http://ts.thrustmaster.com/, the racing wheel is also compatible with Windows (10, 8, 7 and Vista).
Intense fun at your fingertips:
When it comes to handling, the racing wheel’s 11”/28 cm diameter is suited to all types of racing games (GT, F1, NASCAR, Rally, etc.). Its rubber-coated wheel grips offer perfect comfort. When it comes to ergonomics, everything has been designed to ensure that the two large, 5”/13 cm tall, 100% metal wheel-mounted sequential paddle shifters are within easy reach, just like the 12 action buttons and the directional pad.
Exceptional efficiency at your feet:
The TMX Force Feedback’s features a wide 2-pedal pedal set that delivers efficient acceleration and braking: each pedal’s angle of inclination can be adjusted, and for greater realism, the brake pedal also offers progressive resistance.
Want more?
The TMX Force Feedback is designed to accompany racers through their learning curve in terms of experience: it is compatible with the T3PA and T3PA-Pro (Thrustmaster 3 Pedals Add-on) pedal sets and with the Thrustmaster TH8A shifter.
The TMX Force Feedback will be available in May, at the suggested retail price of £169.99/€199.99 (taxes included)
To celebrate the Blu-ray and DVD release of Mr. Robot, leading Government cyber security firm, BNS Cyber, give their top tips to keep safe online and halt hackers in their tracks…
MR. ROBOT — “hellofriend.mov” Episode 101 — Pictured: (l-r) Christian Slater as Mr. Robot, Rami Malek as Elliot — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/USA Network)
In case you missed the thrilling and captivating Mr. Robot, here is a quick recap. The show focuses on a cyber security engineer by day and vigilante hacker by night, Elliot (Rami Malek) who finds himself at a crossroads when the mysterious leader of an underground hacker group (Christian Slater) recruits him to destroy the firm he’s paid to protect.
However most of us unfortunately don’t possess Elliot’s cyber skills and whether you are the IT Director of a multi-national company responsible for the safekeeping of valuable intellectual property, or a regular Joe who uses the internet for online shopping, personal banking websites and just your general LIFE, the threats from cyber-crime are increasing. This is because businesses and individuals are more reliant than ever on cyberspace (the internet) to carry out day-to-day tasks.
There is readily available malicious software that hackers can buy from the seedier part of the underground internet world to try and steal this type of information. But the hackers generally sell the passwords and credit card details on criminals. So it’s easy to do, and once a system is compromised (perhaps in hours or days), the data can be stolen at normal internet download rates.
Even the most unskilled hacker can take control of your home machine by getting you to open a corrupted email (spam) or web link – so beware! Individuals can be targeted on a regular basis with spam, in some daily – which is why the tips below are so important!
With large organisations, they will almost certainly be under constant ‘probing’ from hackers with a variety of motivations such as ‘hacktivists’.
On sites like Cybermap, you can filter by country and see there are millions of infected emails alone every month in the UK!
Recently, the media has been rife with examples of successful cyber-attacks against both individuals and companies.
Ryan Collins, a computer hacker from Pennsylvania managed to gain access to over 100 online accounts, including that of 18 celebrities. This included sharing nude images of Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson, which the former branded as a ‘sex crime.’ Other celebrities who were targeted by Collins include Scarlett Johansson, Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, Jessica Alba and Kate Upton.
British telecoms company TalkTalk suffered a massive security breach last year with over 100,000 customer records containing personal details being stolen by cyber-criminals, which can then be used to facilitate identity theft. I have a friend who suffered identity theft, and it isn’t a pleasant story. There were numerous attempts (often successful) to set up credit cards and loans, and six months down the line there is no sign of slowdown. This attack was almost certainly made possible because of insecure network configuration and other inadequate cyber-security measures. The financial impact through reputational damage (loss of customers and revenue) was estimated by TalkTalk to be in the tens of millions! It turned out that two teenagers were arrested in connection with this cyber-crime, proving that years of criminal experience is not required to damage a large corporate company.
And of course, there was last year’s infamous Ashley Madison extramarital affairs website hack, which stole the personal information of the site’s users and threatened to release names if the site was not shut down. The hackers subsequently released these personal details onto the Dark Net, where they were used for extortion and ‘naming and shaming’ amongst other things, devastatingly leading to reported suicides. Again, these types of attack are only made possible by poor cyber-security controls.
Cyber security also presents ethical challenges for the companies keeping you safe online. Apple and the US Government are currently in a legal battle following a request for Apple to unlock the iPhone of San Bernardino killer, Rizwan Farook. Apple’s security is very good – when an iphone is locked the data is encrypted which means it cannot be read without the correct code or thumbprint of the user to unlock it. This protects information such as credit card details and passwords from hackers and criminals who want to steal it. Apple do not have a ‘master key’ to unlock any iPhone.
The Crux of the legal battle is that the US Department of Justice have demanded Apple write a new piece of software to unlock Rizwan Farook’s iPhone. In an online message to all customers, Apple stated their opposition to this demand on the grounds that it has implications far behind the Rizwan Farook case. Apple argue that creating this new piece of software will create a ‘backdoor’ for cyber-criminals if it falls into the wrong hands, allowing them to routinely steal private information from iPhones. A ‘master key’ no less.
To be clear, Apple complies with FBI subpoenas and search warrants (including the San Bernadino case) and has also made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI. And Apple makes clear in their message to users that it condemns this deadly act of terrorism. Their argument is that this request puts millions of users worldwide at risk from cyber-crime. Who is going to win the battle? Watch this space…
Now for some top tips to reduce the likelihood of being a victim of a Mr.Robot-esque cyber attack!
Individuals
1) Behaviour: The most common cyber-attacks exploit user behaviour. This is done be enticing you to click-on or open something that contains malicious software (such as ransomware), or directs you to a website that contains malicious software.
Do not open emails or email attachments that are ‘too good to be true’ or ask you to reveal sensitive details – reputable organisations will not ask you to do this. Do not open websites or website links that are not for a reputable organisation, or where you have reason to be suspicious. Also be careful using social media. For example, setting your online status to ‘on holiday for 2 weeks’ and sharing this to a wide audience is useful information to a local house-burglar. All a small-time hacker need to do is follow you on social media, and then they can work out the rest!
I know of someone who set their social media status to ‘on holiday’ and among his hobbies was listed ‘cycle racing’ – he promptly had a follower break into his home and steal his £3000+ bike when he was away!
2) Passwords: Use strong passwords for web sites where you submit credit card details or store sensitive information (such as email). Use a different password for each of these web sites to limit the damage a cyber-attacker can do. For help choosing and remembering passwords, visit https://www.cyberstreetwise.com/passwords.
If you use a weak password then this can be easily guessed by a hacker. One 2015 survey found for several million passwords for cloud services that are for sale on the Darknet, 10% of users employ the 20 most popular passwords. That means with fewer than 20 tries, anyone could login to roughly 1 out of 10 accounts today. And the top 3 of these 20 most popular passwords are 123456, password, and 12345!
3) Patching: ensure all software security updates are installed as they become available. This reduces the vulnerabilities available for a cyber-criminal to exploit.
4) Operating System: Modern operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Apple iOS are designed with security in mind, and come relatively secure out-of-the-box. Keeping this secure configuration will limit the damage a cyber-criminal can do.
In terms of operating systems – the newer the better!
The latest Microsoft operating systems are very much designed with security in mind, but Windows 95 and before not so much. And remember, Windows XP is now out of support for security patches so will be very vulnerable if you don’t have a custom support arrangement in place.
5) Internet Security Software: Install anti-virus software that includes regular updates to detect new malicious software, and has internet security controls built-in. This ensures if a malicious email or unsafe website is opened, the anti-virus software will prevent it causing harm.
The majority of successful attacks on individuals will be against computers with out of date Anti-Virus software and security patches. Having this in place means the hacker has to be more capable and develop an attack against an unknown vulnerability – referred to as ‘zero-day’ attack.
The latest Apple and Microsoft operating systems are very good if configured correctly. Apple appears so good that they cannot even access files on their own operating system on behalf of law enforcement agencies (joke)!
6) User Access Control: A simple step but often overlooked – only use an account with Normal User privileges for day to day working. Malicious software often runs in the context of the logged-on user, so do not routinely use an Administrator account which will increase potential harm.
Where possible, you should create a separate account for each computer user, and make sure they are not ‘administrators’. This will stop the hacker being able to take complete control of your computer in most cases.
7) Children’s Safety: Children are vulnerable to a wide variety of online threats. Some of these can be countered by your Internet Service Provider or Internet security software to limit the types of content that children can view. Advice to counter other threats such as bullying and inappropriate contact can be found at www.nspcc.org.uk.
Companies
Companies should consider all of the steps above to protect themselves online.
Additionally, other security protection is needed such as changing default passwords for network devices, implementing Firewalls and Intrusion Protection Devices to secure the company’s perimeter against malicious code.
Another good route is Data Leak Prevention devices to prevent sensitive information leaving the company’s network, and VPN tunnels (encrypted communications channels across the internet) which enable mobile workers to access the company’s network.
A good place to start is www.cyberstreetwise.com/cyberessentials, a Government-backed and industry supported scheme to guide businesses in basic protection against cyber threats. Ultimately, the size and complexity of a company’s IT systems, the type of work it conducts in cyberspace, and the threats it faces will determine the specific protection required, and this often requires expert, specialist advice.
Now you have the know-how, you’ll need never be caught out by cyber hackers again. But if you really want to see how it’s done, you can re-watch Elliot and Mr. Robot in Season One of Mr. Robot on Blu-ray and DVD from 11th April.
This past weekend saw the Optimus convention take place in Bristol, and amongst the guests was Troy Baker, who performed an acoustic music set. Here is his full set from the Saturday, with no mic!
Here is the new trailer for “Suicide Squad” titled Blitz Trailer from the director David Ayer (“Fury,” “End of Watch”) comes “Suicide Squad,” starring Oscar nominee Will Smith (“Ali,” “The Pursuit of Happyness”), Oscar winner Jared Leto (“Dallas Buyers Club”), Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Focus”), Joel Kinnaman (“Run All Night,” “The Killing”) and Oscar nominee Viola Davis (“The Help,” “Doubt”).
Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?
Written and directed by Ayer based on the characters from DC Comics, the film also stars Jai Courtney (“Insurgent”), Jay Hernandez (“Takers”), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Thor: The Dark World”), Ike Barinholtz (“Neighbors”), Scott Eastwood (“Fury”), Cara Delevingne (“Paper Towns”), Adam Beach (“Cowboys & Aliens”), and Karen Fukuhara in her feature film debut. It is produced by Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Colin Wilson and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.
Are you ready to go back into the World of J.K. Rowling get ready for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” starring Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) stars in the central role of wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates, who helmed the last four “Harry Potter” blockbusters. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures.
Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” also stars Katherine Waterston (“Steve Jobs,” “Inherent Vice”) as Tina; Tony Award winner Dan Fogler (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) as Jacob; Alison Sudol (“Dig,” “Transparent”) as Tina’s sister, Queenie; Ezra Miller (“Trainwreck”) as Credence; two-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (“In America,” “Sweet and Lowdown”) as Mary Lou; Oscar winner Jon Voight (“Coming Home,” TV’s “Ray Donovan”) as Henry Shaw, Sr.; Ron Perlman (the “Hellboy” films) as Gnarlack; Carmen Ejogo (“Selma”) as Seraphina; Jenn Murray (“Brooklyn”) as Chastity; young newcomer Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty; and Colin Farrell (“True Detective”) as Percival Graves. The film marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose beloved Harry Potter books were adapted into the top-grossing film franchise of all time.
Her script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by her character Newt Scamander. The film reunites a number of people from the “Harry Potter” features, including producers David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram. Collaborating with Yates behind the scenes are: Oscar-winning director of photography Philippe Rousselot (“A River Runs Through It,” the “Sherlock Holmes” movies), three-time Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig (“The English Patient,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” “Gandhi,” the “Harry Potter” films), three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Alice in Wonderland”), Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Tim Burke (“Gladiator,” the “Harry Potter” films), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Christian Manz (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1”), and Yates’ longtime editor Mark Day (the last four “Harry Potter” films). “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is being filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, which was home to the “Harry Potter” films for a decade.
Some scenes were also shot on location in Liverpool, England. Warner Bros. Pictures has slated “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” for worldwide release in 3D and IMAX on 18th November, 2016.
Just in time to get you ready for Uncharted 4 comes a remaster of another ‘Indiana Jones Simulator’ – Adam’s Venture Origins. More than just a remaster to be honest this release in more of a reimagining with new gameplay mechanics and controls added atop the nice new HD resolution. No time is wasted introducing you to the protagonist and the handful of main characters that will join you throughout this adventure.
The first thing I noticed was how instantly unlikable everybody is. The totally snooty library assistant does nothing at all to try and gain your affection. In fact every interaction is more or less Adam being incredibly sarcastic and trying to be funny followed by an, almost justifiably, irritated response. On occasion Adam manages to very nearly hit the mark and comes across as charming and witty but it’s far from consistent.
The voice acting sort of just has the feeling of being dated and overstated like so many games used to be. In it’s day I imagine it was considered ahead of the curve but here and now it lacks that modern realism and spark. It follows down from the old voice acting that the characters then become unlikable. The loveable rogue is tricky to pull off and without a truly world class voice acting performance it’s simply not possible.
Admittedly there’s very little scope for updating the voice track aside from completely re-recording the game which you could argue isn’t particularly practical. Visuals however are a little more scalable. It’s always amazing what an HD resolution can do to improve a title and Adam’s Venture is no different. Especially considering the age of the original there is some nice detail and enough lighting and particle effects to keep you interested when exploring the areas.
Most of the remastery has definitely taken place visually. Of course it’s never going to compare to anything modern or set any trends but it certainly looks respectable. The biggest problem visually is some nasty frame drops in certain areas that really help remind you this is an old game beneath the new resolution. But overall I had a smooth experience and the graphics didn’t get in the way of my adventuring.
Aside from the largely cosmetic exploration, puzzles are the main thing that stops Adam from simply walking into Eden and finding his treasure. Wiring a circuit board to return power to a switch or solving impossibly ancient algorithms sealing the way forward are just some of the challenges you will overcome. Only minutes in you are presented with the door to a library locked with a safe dial style system that requires you to reorganize paintings in another room to find the code. Like you do.
I was instantly transported back to a time when games didn’t need to bother explaining themselves or even consider realism at all. It’s one thing to have a tomb or vault littered with vines and foliage containing impossible puzzles but having one at home is just inconvenient. It takes minutes to get into the library in this place. There has to be some fire safety issues to that.
The fidelity and improvements to gameplay are significant and bring Adam somewhere close to a last generation title which is good considering the game’s age. The original puzzles have been updated, but not completely changed, so that gameplay feels far closer to what we expect of a modern adventure game. There are some tricky moments that require thought but it never becomes really tedious and slow.
What is unlikeable about Adam’s Venture is Adam. Rather than coming across as witty and charming he just seems rude. It doesn’t help that I often can’t decide if I dislike his rudeness or if it’s because he’s as sick of the other characters as I am. Without deep characterization it’s not possible to get sucked into the adventure and Adam’s Venture feels more like an abstract puzzler because of it.
Personally I also find the price point a little high for Adam’s Venture even though it does offer a good chunk of adventuring and puzzles. It’s difficult to warrant the £30 currently being asked on Steam when you know Rise of The Tomb Raider is there for £40. If price isn’t a problem then Adam’s Venture is worth playing for a nice distraction. Just ignore anything that talks.
It has certainly been a long wait for Quantum Break for Xbox One Gamers. It was first announced during the Xbox One reveal event back in 2013. Developed by Remedy Entertainment who brought us Max Payne and Alan Wake game series, Quantum Break has suffered from delays which moved its release from 2014 to 2015 and finally moved to April 2016. A game all about time, it had certainly kept us waiting long enough. But has that wait been worth it?
The main character of the story is Jack Joyce, summoned home by his best friend Paul Serene to help him finish a science experiment that will both change the world and take Paul’s company Monarch, to new heights. Jacks brother William had been helping Paul but was against the decision to activate the experiment. That experiment was a fully working time machine. But something goes wrong and time is broken, but that event also gives both Jack and Paul time manipulation powers. Powers which the player will need to master in order to repair time and save the world.
The foundation to Quantum Break is essentially a third person action adventure shooter but for me what stands out most is the intricate storytelling that allows the player to choose the path their game will take in the story by their actions and decisions. As a sci-fan, having a story that focuses on time powers and time travel can be a dangerous mechanic which can unravel under the weight of its own story. But Remedy have been meticulous in grounding rules that allow the wonder of time powers and all the time whimey shenanigans to not run out of control.
I will start with the cool fun stuff first, the time powers Jack Joyce will start to develop, abilities that grow stronger as the game progresses. From the ability to sense where enemies are to trapping enemies in a time bubble or creating a time shield around Jack to prevent taking damage. The time abilities are implemented so well that as they grow stronger, they can be combined together to amazing effect. They also blend really well with the traditional third person shooting which allows the player to take on multiple enemies all at once.
What I found to be a compelling aspect to both the story and the gameplay is how the enemy can also adapt to counter the Time Fracture and Jacks time powers, which stops fights becoming too one sided in favour of the player. Stutters are moments when time is frozen and no one and nothing is able to move. However Jacks abilities allow him to move normally within a Stutter and soon Monarch forces will begin to carry technology that allows them to also move within the Stutters and as a result allow them to counter, cancel and even copy Jack’s time powers as the story advances leading to some amazing encounters that will test what the player has learned in the game.
All the action is great fun and there are some stunning big moment set pieces that some of the most impressive moments on the Xbox One yet. Visually Quantum Break is one of the best looking titles right now on the console. Character models are simply amazing in their detail on screen, some of the best mocappping work I have seen in recent years. It really brings each character to life on screen to drive the story immersion to great effect. Environments that you explore come alive even more because of time being broken and the effects are so striking on screen as the Stutters freeze everything mid moment at times that you can get a real good look at the world with time stopped. Quantum Break really is a game that showcases the power of the Xbox One console.
How Quantum Break tells its story and brings the player into its world for me is the games strongest feature and accomplishes this in a really multi layered fresh way. Through the gameplay narrative the story is being told by Jack himself as he is retelling the story from his viewpoint. As you explore each of the five story acts that make up the game, the player can start to piece together the bigger picture via the collectibles which broaden out the story such as learning more about the characters working in Monarch and their intentions leading up to the accident. They are worth finding because the information you gather will come to shape the choices that influence how the events unfold. The player will also come across Quantum Ripples, moments that can change events in the story in the most delicate of ways which only come to make sense as you move through the game. For example, early in the first act you notice all the lights in the area shutting down, later you discover that by triggering a Quantum Ripple later in the game that it was that actioned that caused lights to go out. Time is used so well that everything that happens in the story and to Jack is explained by the time you reach the end and in a way that is satisfying.
At the end of each Act the player will reach a Junction, and this is where Quantum Break really stands out. At the junction the player will switch from controlling Jack to controlling Paul Serene and will be given two choices which will steer the direction of the story and gameplay events going forward. Those familiar with player choice in TellTale games will have a good idea of how player choice can change the game experience but often you will not know the consequences of that choice until a later moment. Quantum Break will show you what path each choice can lead, which along with the information from the collectibles will guide the player to take a path they want the story to take naturally. It does mean you will need to play the game at least twice to experience ALL possible options and gameplay that follow the junction choices.
The cast of Quantum Break is very recognisable with actors from both film and TV in the main roles with Sean Ashmore, Dominic Monaghan, Aiden Gillen and Courtney Hope and this was a deliberate casting choice to have such an experienced cast due to Quantum Break using TV episodes to tell the other half of the games story. Once the player has made their choice at a Junction, the game will switch to play the TV episode that shows how that decision unfolds before the game takes over again and Jack faces the results of those events have influenced. It is such a seamless combination that really adds a real punch to the story telling that feels unique and refreshing by taking gaming and television and bringing them together that both mediums are enhanced by the blend.
I really enjoyed my time with Quantum Break on many levels from gameplay to the story being shaped by my choices which set the path I took through it. The story takes around ten hours to complete but gathering all the collectibles took it to the fifteen hour mark all in all, a solid amount of gaming time for the price. I loved the attention to detail that it has with superb little touches that reward the player for exploring the world in each act. The time powers are exhilarating to use and learning to use them effectively becomes a joy even if the final boss encounter felt cheaper in its approach based on choices I had made. Other games have used Time as gameplay and story mechanics but Remedy have painstakingly gotten everything right on the money to deliver a game experience worth the long wait for.
Quantum Break is the exclusive the Xbox One needed outside its traditional franchises and it really lived up to the hype surrounding it. A very different game to what was proposed back in 2013 but the end result is a game that bridges entertainment mediums in a way that is surprising but impactful. This is a game that deserves to be in your collection.
Last night The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced the winners of tonight’s British Academy Games Awards, which celebrated the very best in games of the past year. The ceremony was hosted by Dara O’Briain at Tobacco Dock, London where presenters included Benjamin O’Mahoney, Ali A, Julia Hardy, Syndicate Project, Amy Williams, Greg Rice and Paul Chaloner.
Fallout 4 – the action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios – won Best Game. This is the first win for the series which has been BAFTA nominated six times.
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, the story-based game that takes place in a small English village whose inhabitants have mysteriously disappeared, took home three BAFTAs: Audio Achievement, Performer for Merle Dandridge as Kate Collins, and Music for the haunting score composed by Jessica Curry.
Sam Barlow collected three awards for Her Story, a novel piece of interactive fiction. The game is Barlow’s first project as an independent developer and won in the Debut Game, Game Innovation and Mobile Handheld categories.
Futuristic sports-action game Rocket League fought off strong competition across three categories to win BAFTAs for Family Game, Multiplayer.
Batman: Arkham Knight, the fourth installment in the multi-BAFTA-winning Batman: Arkham series, collected the award for British Game, while the Gothic-inspired action role-playing game, Bloodborne, won the Game Design category.
Interactive survival horror title Until Dawn picked up the BAFTA for Original Property, while Prison Architect, a construction and management sim where the player takes control of their own prison, won the Persistent Game award. The BAFTA for was won by Life is Strange, an episodic adventure that set out to revolutionise story-based choice and consequence games.
The AMD eSports Audience Award was won by SMITE, seeing off competition from Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft and League of Legends.
Showcasing the best in young games development and design talent, the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to be Digital was won by SUNDOWN, a multiplayer stealth game created by a team of student developers from the US.
The Fellowship, the highest accolade the Academy can bestow, was presented to John Carmack, a leading figure within computer and game engineering and one of the pioneers of 3D graphics, for his outstanding and exceptional creative contribution to the industry.
Fitted with the finest technology in the universe, Eldar ships are fast and highly manoeuvrable. They pack serious firepower, with incredible damage projection and application. Their strategy is based around hit-and-run assaults, taking their targets by surprise while inflicting maximum damage.
Their speed allows them to disappear as fast as they arrived. Eldar ships are as fast as they are fragile – they lack in any heavy armour. With the exception of their battleships, their craft are not fitted with shields, instead relying on advanced Holo-fields in conjunction with their speed and agility to avoid incoming fire. This makes them extremely hard to track and hit with conventional weaponry. Destroying Eldar ships’ engines is the best way to keep them at close-range, ensuring you have enough time to inflict lethal damage.
The Eldar fleet will be joining the beta next week! They will be ready to pit their guerilla tactics against the Ork’s brutal manoeuvres, the Chaos’ long-range gameplay and the Imperium’s balanced style, during epic and tactical space battles. Eldar fleets are built around strategies based on speed, surprise and sudden firepower, offering a brand new gameplay style and deep tactical options for Battlefleet Gothic players.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada releases two weeks from now – and thanks to the tantalizing fun offered by the Beta, almost 100,000 players have already preordered the game. The current beta players, along with all who join them, will be able to help Tindalos balance the Eldar fleets as soon as next week, just like they have the other three factions. This will ensure the best possible experience when the game releases on 21st April.
Players can preorder Battlefleet Gothic: Armada’s Early Adopters Edition. This edition is available to all players who preorder the game, as well as those who buy the game up to two months after release. Early Adopters will receive the Space Marines fleet + one additional fleet (more info coming soon) for free, as well as instant access to the beta.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada will release 21st April on PC.
To coincide with the Open Beta pre-load , today 2K and Gearbox Software revealed the new Battleborn Bootcamp trailer starring Oscar Mike and ISIC who are filming a recruitment video to have you join the Battleborn and the fight to save the Solus, the last star.
The Battleborn Open Beta begins April 8th on PS4 and April 13th on PC and Xbox One, and you can pre-load NOW on all platforms.
During the Open Beta, you’ll be able to experience the natural progression of Battleborn; including two Story Mode episodes, two Competitive Multiplayer Modes, 25 heroes (some instantly available, some will unlock as you progress), and as you play, you’ll rank up on three different progression systems.
Here is the first teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has arrived with Rogue One slated for release on 16th December, and by the look of things this is a very different take at the rejuvenated sci-fi saga. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters), Rogue One is the first of several planned spin-off movies, and is said to take place just before the events of the original film.
In it, a group led by Felicity Jones sets out to steal plans for the Death Star the same plans, it seems, that Princess Leia stored in the memory banks of R2-D2 back in 1977.
