Hive announces the Hive Hub 360 that connects Hive devices together and detects important sounds

Chris Hare
-
0
Hive announces the Hive Hub 360 that connects Hive devices together and detects important sounds
  • Today Hive has announced the Hive Hub 360 which is a stylish, a new wireless hub that connects Hive devices together and detects important sounds in the home.

The most advanced Hive Hub yet, it combines powerful connectivity with 360-degree audio detection. It can be used to detect sounds, including a dog barking, smoke or carbon monoxide alarm going off and glass in windows or doors breaking.

The AI technology in the new Hive Hub 360 it can detect and react to important sounds around the home. This ability to hear like a human makes the Hive Hub 360 more helpful, as it can react appropriately based on what it recognises and will send a notification to your smartphone via the Hive app to let you know. It therefore doesn’t need to wait for commands from its owner, and provides extra peace of mind when you’re away. For example, on hearing your dog barking it can send a notification to your phone, so you can hear whether they are in trouble, barking at a stranger or just being noisy and take the appropriate action.

Audio Analytic, the pioneer of cloudless artificial audio intelligence, provides Centrica Hive Limited with the software which gives the new Hive Hub 360 its humanlike sense of hearing. Audio Analytic’s software currently enables the Hive Hub 360 to recognize and react to three key sounds that need action: glass in windows or doors breaking, dogs barking and smoke or Carbon Monoxide alarms sounding.

“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do and we are always looking for the latest innovative technology to make their lives easier.” comments Tom Guy Global Product Director, Centrica Hive Limited. “Working with Audio Analytic has given us the opportunity to build in the very latest sound recognition technology into the Hive Hub 360. Combining form and function, the hub is stylishly designed as the centrepiece for the Hive ecosystem, while also giving our customers extra peace of mind when away from their homes.”

Audio Analytic’s software, ai3, has been designed with privacy in mind. While it will detect and react to specific sounds that it has been calibrated for, it does not send data to the cloud continuously for analysis. Using edge-based intelligence, ai3 processes sounds locally without depending on vast computing resources or streaming constantly to the cloud.

Commenting on the emergence of sound recognition as a vital technology for smart homes, Francisco Jeronimo, Research Director at IDC said: “The sense of hearing is essential in the AI world, as it enables devices to understand context, which is the ability of the device to identify different sounds from the environment and understand whether an action needs to be taken or not.

IDC believes that sound recognition is a key strategic technology that should be made available in all connected devices that will use AI to offer unique experiences to their users, by providing context-awareness to their personal digital assistants

Any sound that’s recorded and can be listened to in the Hive app.

The wireless device has been designed to live anywhere in the home and there’s no need to plug into the broadband router as it connects via Wi-FI.

Hive Hub 360 is integrated with Hive Actions, a clever feature that enables users to connect their Hive products together through the app so their home works seamlessly around them.

Hive Hub 360 is the hub that looks after the home and is available from today in Black & Brushed Copper and White & Champagne Gold, the Hive Hub 360 is priced at £99.

Following the Hive View smart indoor camera which launched earlier in the year it helps make the home smarter and more stylish.

Dara O’Briain return to host the British Academy Games Awards

Chris Hare
-
0
Dara O’Briain return to host the British Academy Games Awards

Dara O’Briain said “Returning to host the British Academy Games Awards fills me with both excitement and trepidation. It’s a chance to celebrate the brilliant achievements of an incredible, creative industry. But to prepare to host BAFTA’s Film Awards you just have to watch a few DVDs … To prepare for this, I have to save worlds, win wars, race cars, score goals and travel from the end of the galaxy to the other. Somebody pass me a controller, quick!”

Taking place at Troxy, London, the awards welcome the very best practitioners in the world who gather to celebrate another outstanding year in games and network with colleagues from across the industry. The awards will be preceded by a Champagne Taittinger reception and followed by a seated dinner and after-party for guests. Priority tickets to the awards are now available for BAFTA members. All other tickets go on sale next Thursday 15 March, the day of the nominations announcement.

The British Academy Games Awards is part of the London Games Festival, which runs from 5th April to 15th April covering 40 events across the capital. London Games Festival is delivered by Games London, a project jointly run by Film London and Ukie and funded by the Mayor of London via the London Enterprise Action Panel. More at www.games.london.

The Awards are supported by industry partners Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, GAME, SEGA Europe Ltd., PlayFusion, Tencent, Ubisoft Entertainment with ME London Hotel the official hotel partner.

Guests attending BAFTA’s awards ceremonies support the organisation’s charitable work and initiatives that identify, support and nurture new talent in this thriving sector. Applications are now being taken for games membership of BAFTA at membership.bafta.org.

Review: Far Cry 5 – Inside Eden’s Gate: LIVE Action Short

Sean McCarthy
-
0
Review: Far Cry 5 – Inside Eden’s Gate: LIVE Action Short

Ubisoft have a tradition of producing a prequel style series or video short for their games at times, going back to Assassin’s Creed: Lineage which was a YouTube mini series ahead of the release of Assassin’s Creed II and told of the events that lead into that game through the eyes of Ezio’s father Giovanni. It added so much to the game experience by introducing us to the characters in the game but also that the actors used to voice the characters were able to become their characters in this mini series. With the upcoming release of Far Cry 5, Ubisoft has once again created a prequel short but this time it has been released as an exclusive on the Amazon Prime streaming service. I was most intrigued to see ‘Far Cry 5: Inside Eden’s Gate’ had to offer:

Inside Eden’s Gate tells the story of three vloggers who take it upon themselves to investigate Eden’s Gate after receiving an email from someone claiming that his sister had been kidnapped by a cult. After reaching Hope County and meet with the brother they soon learn that several other people have also gone missing, and all of which are out of character for them .As they track down missing locals and investigate other strange events, they eventually encounter Joseph Seed, the leader of The Project of Eden’s Gate cult and his followers and their investigation quickly turns into a deadly situation for them.

I really enjoyed this 30 minute short because it had one purpose and one purpose only to focus on, introducing Joseph Seed and The Project of Eden’s Gate cult. For many fans of Far Cry, the change in location from large tropical or Tibetan wilderness as seen in Far Cry 3 and 4 to that of the USA was a strange one. This prequel gives us a great insight into Joseph and his followers but mainly the cult itself by not only introducing the characters but all showing the impact it is having on Hope County and the methods used to ‘baptise’ people into the cult. We are witness to such a baptism thanks to the team of Vloggers recording one and we learn that a mysterious blue chemical is poured into the water before the victim has their head dunked underneath the water. This chemical makes the person more susceptible to the words of Joseph Seed and they quickly fall under his spell. It adds a real sinister aspect to what had been up to this point for me a really throwaway aspect of this story element.

 

Stand out performance has to go to Greg Bryk and his performance that truly brings Joseph Seed to life for me. Even outside of the mind altering chemical baptism, Joseph Seed has something about him that is able to speak to the very heart of people’s fears. In the first encounter with him, we see the team of Vloggers go to a small church in the middle of no where as Joseph delivers his sermon to a group of people clearly influenced by his words. Those words are indeed powerful as Joseph highlights why the World is in the trouble that it is and especially rings home with the many Donald Trump campaign speeches delivered on his road to the Presidency. Seed goes on to say that he can offer them true salvation from the evils of the world and that they should turn to him and through him, God. Bryk does such a tremendous job of bringing him to life I am very excited to see his dialogue performance in the full game.

 

Once captured by Seed and his followers, the Vloggers try to escape by finding weapons with the intention of shooting their way out if they have to in order to get to a location where their footage, at the very least, can be uploaded. Now this side is a little Blair Witch as we are informed that a mini cam has recorded the whole encounter with the cult and if they can get it uploaded then it will be also put on their YouTube channel for the world to discover. Now with the cult being in the middle of no where it just happens to not have any cell phone service so instead of giving the impression that they are going to be able to actually escape to safety, the focus really is on just getting the video uploaded which is no doubt what leads to the player travelling to Hope County in the game.

Overall the performances of the actors is spot on for what this short has to deliver with a brilliant scene where Joseph Seed is able to convince one of the Vloggers to join him by connecting with her with just his words in the opening Church sermon but then preys upon her weakness with help from his sister Faith to convince her that her pain can be taken away with his help and all she has to do is join them. We know that Ubisoft used actual experts in Cults to develop the character of Joseph Seed and The Project of Eden’s Gate cult and you can see the elements of manipulation Joesph uses even before the mind altering chemical is introduced in either the baptisms or as seen in this scene, administered as a drink.

I do think that it is a shame that this short for now is locked behind the Amazon Prime streaming service but with so many trailers now for Far Cry 5 which introduce all the main characters, Inside Eden’s Gate is another clever prequel story that excellently sets up the Cult for Far Cry 5. That said, with all the trailers available now, fans will still get the sense of the story from them without having watch this short but if you can watch it I do recommend doing so just for the performance of Greg Bryk alone in bringing the Joseph Seed character to life along with his followers. The true danger of this cult is showcased so well and makes it very believable that they could take over the whole county of Hope with their indoctrination methods and with Father Seed as the leader being able to make his followers do whatever he needs them to do.

It is entertaining for what it is and serves as a fun prequel story that introduces the world of Far Cry 5 really well to get fans even more hyped up for the game releasing on March 27th. I am more invested in the story now after watching Inside Eden’s Gate then I was before and being a fan of the amazing villains in Far Cry such as the under used Vaas in Far Cry 3 and the exceptional Pagan Min from Far Cry 5, it is clear that Father Joseph Seed could well be the best and most intriguing villain to date in the series.

Far Cry 5: Inside Eden’s Gate is available now via the Amazon Prime Streaming service with the game releasing March 27th.

Review: Past Cure

Sean McCarthy
-
0
Review: Past Cure

There is always a huge risk when a small indie development team try to rival the big hitting AAA developers and publishers with their games. Sometimes it can pay off and the surprise hits like Cuphead, make a huge impact. But more often then not by attempting to emulate games with huge budgets, these small developer teams trip themselves up by throwing everything into the mixing bowl and seeing what kind of cake they can bake. Phantom 8 Studio is offering what they claim is a ‘Cinematic story driven supernatural thriller with stealth and action” with Past Cure, does it deliver a big hitting AAA experience for a budget price?

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

In short the answer is sadly, no. Past Cure is another example of an indie title that tries to cram in a whole bunch of popular gaming mechanics but then suffers the pitfall of having a small budget and team to splice them all together. The end result is a game that fails to do any one thing adequate enough to work well then crumbles under the weight of everything it is trying to do to leave what is a game with a lot of potential on paper but suffers from a small developer team punching above their weight.

The main character is Ian, a former soldier who has three missing years and very scary nightmares and is a man very much torn between the abstract nature of his dreams and the search for answers in the real world. Ian is certainly shown to be a troubled man who is struggling to deal with what has happened to him. Aided only by his brother Marcus, the game will see Ian attempt to piece together what has happened to him whilst dealing with his nightmares. So on paper at least, Past Cure has a rather interesting story to begin with.

The troubles do start very early on as the game opens with Ian in his nightmare world and having to defend himself against strange white mannequins who come out of doors as Ian moves through the corridors looking for a way out. Past Cure is a third person shooter at its core and it is evident right from this opening section that this aspect is the first of many that required a lot more polish as the hit detection is ropey as hell especially when it comes to getting that critical headshot as at times it took 2-3 bullet hits before it would register.

Visually the game is very much last generation at best, often blurry with some clumsy animation at times. It also has those widescreen black borders at the top and bottom of the screen to try and give it that cinematic Hollywood feel and the cut-scenes certainly attempt to give it a big screen feel. The voice acting does nothing to really help though and the often wooden and dry delivery of dialogue, which in itself will not be winning a BAFTA anytime soon, is distracting and took me straight out of the game. It was hard to read if Ian was supposed to be worried or scared or just robotically going through his dialogue and lines of narration.

The first two hours of the game serves as a painfully overly long tutorial as we spend a lot of time in the dreamscape where the player learns that Ian has actually developed supernatural abilities. The first of which is his ability to use astral projection to leave his body and interact with the world around him. This is really limited to either activating switches in the dreams or to take out security cameras in the real world. The second ability Ian has is that of being able to slow down time which enables Ian to have an advantage in shoot outs and the chance to sneak past enemies whilst it is in effect. Both powers require energy to use and by using them depletes the ’Sanity’ bar which can only be replenished by Ian taking his Blue pill medication. Now I am all for mental health featuring in video games and in the past year we have seen this used to great effect to both educate and explore the issues of mental health. However here it is simply used as a hud description. Rather than saying Ian’s sanity is depleted by using his abilities it would make more sense to say it is more a mental endurance aspect than directly having an effect on his sanity which Ian himself as a character never really seems to comment on whilst using his powers. It just feels like a story narrative attempt to tie in gameplay but like so much of this game, just falls flat. The powers themselves are interesting but during the dreamscape tutorial it just became boring to repeat the same exercise of using astral projection to activate switches to move to the next section. One or two would have been enough but almost two hours or learning to use both powers was overkill.

The first real world mission which brings all the mechanics of stealth, shooting and use of powers for the player only really serves to showcase just what a mistake trying to incorporate so many gaming mechanics were. The mission requires Ian to stealthily make his way to a hotel to question a person who may explain what happened to him and begins Ian having to work his way through the multi-storey carpark of the hotel, which is guarding by default ‘bad guy extras in a Johnny English film’. Now those familiar with third person action games will recognise the basic need for the game to provide cover for the player to use either by having random objects or environment to conveniently provide the cover. Which only makes the level design just baffling on this section as being a car park location; it is the parked cars that provide the cover mostly. However the way in which cars have been parked just make no sense at all considering the enemy has no idea that Ian is there until shots are fired or Ian is discovered. This section like the dream tutorial just goes on for so long, repeating the same mechanic of Ian having to use his abilities to stealthily move past the enemy or just to have a shoot out.

The stealth aspect is just so painfully executed here as being crouched just makes movement so clumsy and slow that in all honesty, just having a shoot out will not only save time but the players patience as well. The poor shooting hit detection also rears its ugly head as going for headshots, even if you use the slow down power, can be hit and miss. The enemy AI is just weird as well with some enemies without guns, will simply charge at Ian for an easy kill, if the game lets you get the skill shot that is. They also have the worst dialogue which has each of them saying the very same thing, in the same voice which on one occasion gave me the most comical moment of any game this year as one guard bugged out and was caught in his own movement animation, shuffling along to a corner whilst repeating the same two lines of dialogue for three minutes before I mercifully put him out of his misery.

To top it all off, as a game that is sold on having stealth as a major factor it is very quick to drop this mechanic without reason. After a few sections of this car park location where I am able to use stealth and only having a gun fight if I fail or choose to ignore it, the game itself then decides to sod it all and instead of Ian going into a stealth position, suddenly the enemy know I am there and boom it is a boss fight encounter. Now considering I have been firing guns and killing my way to this section which never once alerted any of the bog standard enemies that I was approaching, now the game decides it is ok for enemies to be prepared for Ian popping out of a door way. Making it through this and the game then says right it is stealth or game over, as finally getting to the hotel requires Ian to move around stealthily with the game ending result if he is spotted. With the stealth mechanic being so painful to use it literally stopped me in my tracks for a while, having to actually walk away from the game and come back later as it was so frustratingly bad as game mechanics just failed to make this either fun or playable.

Past Cure is sadly a game where the small development team and small budget simply punched above their weight and tried to put together so many elements without taking the time to really polish each enough to make them actually work. The shooting is so hap hazard it becomes laughable and the use of powers just ends up feeling strange and out of place. The stealth sections are beyond painful with so many elements actually working against each other it becomes an overall mess of a game that clearly required more funding and quality testing time before release. The story becomes forgettable rather quickly and the voice acting and dialogue are painful at best.

I do feel that the developers, Phantom 8 Studio, deserve credit for attempting such a game despite their limitations. The ideas shown in Past Cure are interesting enough, most of which can be seen in far bigger budgeted games such as Quantum Break. But by attempting to do so much they sadly failed to do even the basics well enough to make this title playable. They aimed big but delivered poorly making Past Cure one to really avoid outside of a budget sale at some point. It requires work to tidy up the issues it has especially with movement and hit detection and even then, there really is far too much wrong with this game to make it worth a purchase at full price.

Ambitious but ultimately terrible execution makes Past Cure one to avoid.

PLAY EXPO London Announced

Andrew Edney
-
0
PLAY EXPO London Announced

PLAY Expo, the UK’s largest arcade, indie and retro gaming show comes to London’s Printworks for the first time on the 11th and 12th of August 2018. Having previously sold out huge arenas in Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and Blackpool, PLAY Expo is bringing its raucous celebration of gaming brilliance throughout the years to the capital.

PLAY Expo is a must attend event for any videogames fan. The event features hundreds of original playable arcade and pinball machines alongside hundreds of consoles and PCs, playing a virtual who’s who of gaming classics through the ages. Remember Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter, Space Invaders, Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Tetris, Super Mario Kart, Sensible Soccer, Super Mario Bros, GoldenEye 007, Pokemon?  You will find them all, and more, among the hundreds of classic games available to play.

PLAY Expo also features a huge Minecraft zone, dedicated VR and LAN gaming areas and an Indie Zone, where you can play the best and brightest indie games from recent years. On the Expo stages you will find talks from gaming celebrities, Cosplay displays and tournaments for gamers of all skill levels.

Whether you’re gaming enthusiast or haven’t touched a game in years, you will find yourself enthralled by the wealth of amazing gaming entertainment available. Pick up your controller and let’s go PLAY Expo!

Andy Brown, Managing Director of Replay Events said: “We are super excited to be bringing PLAY Expo to the capital for the first time, the Printworks is the ideal venue for our iconic event. We all remember the games we have loved and treasured over the years. PLAY Expo allows you to revisit your favourites, introduce them to the next generation and discover something new for yourself.” 

The fun starts on August 11th at London’s Printworks, SE16 and runs from 10am until 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more information visit playexpolondon.com, facebook.com/playexpolondon and twitter.com/replayevents.

Tickets cost: Adults £20, Child £14, Family (2 adults, 2 children) £58 per day or Adults £34, Child £24, Family £96 for the Weekend ticket.

A Closer Look at Dozy Dogs from Fuzzikins Craft

Andrew Edney
-
0
A Closer Look at Dozy Dogs from Fuzzikins Craft

We take a closer look at Dozy Dogs from Fuzzikins Craft.

The joys of craft in a cute animal world with endless possibilities of personalisation every time children play, crafting their own story not once, but over and over again.

Fuzzikins are adorable fuzzy animals to colour and play. These craft sets offer hours of fun customising the Fuzzikins and their world!

It’s bed time for three adorable dogs. Colour them and make them cozy in their beds.

This craft & play kit includes 3 dog figures, felt tip pens, sleeping bags and plenty of other accessories to personalise and play with.

Fuzzikins Craft – A fuzzi world of fun and imagination!

Dozy Dogs from from Fuzzikins Craft are available now priced £9.99.

A Closer Look at Cozy Cats from Fuzzikins Craft

Andrew Edney
-
0
A Closer Look at Cozy Cats from Fuzzikins Craft

We take a closer look at Cozy Cats from Fuzzikins Craft.

The joys of craft in a cute animal world with endless possibilities of personalisation every time children play, crafting their own story not once, but over and over again.

Fuzzikins are adorable fuzzy animals to colour and play. These craft sets offer hours of fun customising the Fuzzikins and their world!

It’s bed time for three adorable cats. Colour them and make them cozy in their beds.

This craft & play kit includes 3 cat figures, felt tip pens, sleeping bags and plenty of other accessories to personalise and play with.

Fuzzikins Craft – A fuzzi world of fun and imagination!

Cozy Cats from from Fuzzikins Craft are available now priced £9.99.

A Closer Look at some Ni No Kuni II merchandise from Numskull

Andrew Edney
-
0
A Closer Look at some Ni No Kuni II merchandise from Numskull

Back in January we told that Numskull were releasing some official Ni No Kuni II merchandise, and we have managed to get our hands on some of it.

This is how Numskull describe the range:

“Launch yourself into the world of the Revenant Kingdom with the most stylish merchandise on the market thanks to our talented design team at Numskull. They’ve been working hard, much like Santa’s elves, to deliver you the very best merchandise to pay tribute to the new Ni no Kuni release that’s awaiting us all. Choose from premium quality fridge magnets, pin badges, cinch bags, charms, t-shirts and more. All crafted from the best materials and with exciting and recognisable designs, we guarantee you’ll be tempted to add the entire collection to your shopping cart!”

Ni no Kuni 2 World Map Mug

We know what you’re thinking, but it’s not true that you could ever have too many mugs! The next logical step would be to add this official Ni no Kuni II World Map Mug to expand your beautiful set. Decorated with rich blues and greens forming a map artwork design, this mug is not only useful for getting around in-game, but it’s guaranteed to be the best Ni no Kuni-themed mug you’ll ever own!

Available now for £7.99 and you can learn more here.

Ni no Kuni 2 ‘Lofty’ Raglan T-Shirt

It’s a new year, so it’s time to make space for all of the incredible Ni no Kuni II merchandise you’ve been waiting so patiently for! Inspired by the game character Lofty, this official Ni no Kuni II ‘Lofty’ raglan t-shirt clearly emanates true dedication to the heart-warming franchise and is packed with style and colour for an exciting look. The shirt features a Lofty icon on the chest with the unique Nazcaan Script font surrounding it for the ultimate geek chic design!

Available now for £14.99 and you can learn more here.

Ni no Kuni 2 Artwork Drawstring Bag

Leave all of your school friends green with envy as you turn up to class with the coolest bag they’ve ever seen. This official Ni no Kuni II artwork cinch bag portrays the Revenant Kingdom from the game in its full glory with the logo for some extra awesomeness. With an easy-opening drawstring, this bag is a perfect home for your belongings, and ideal for all devoted fans of the franchise.

Available now for £4.99 and you can learn more here.

Have you got any of the new merchandise or are you planning on getting some? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Win a Sennheiser MOMENTUM Free Headset

Andrew Edney
-
0
Win a Sennheiser MOMENTUM Free Headset

It’s time for another competition, and this time our friends at Sennheiser have given us a MOMENTUM Free headset to give away along with a CX 6.00BT Bluetooth headset to the runner up!

The delightful MOMENTUM Free is our most compact Bluetooth headphone ever. A true MOMENTUM that packs all the style and substance you could ask for – in a highly portable design. It delivers immaculate wireless hi-fi sound thanks to Bluetooth 4.2 and Qualcomm apt-X, its high quality ergonomic design ensures an outstanding all-day listening experience. With an integrated microphone, a six-hour battery life and a luxurious leather case, the MOMENTUM Free is the perfect companion for the mobile lifestyle. The MOMENTUM Free retails for £169.99.

A true heavy-weight in sound, clad in an ultra-light-weight frame, the Sennheiser CX 6.00BT wireless in-ear headset is everything you need to enjoy your music and videos on the go. It offers superior fit and comfort, while advanced wireless technology makes sure that it sounds every bit like a Sennheiser should. With its intuitive controls, robust build, and long battery life the CX 6.00BT is bound to make your everyday more pleasurable, anywhere you go. The CX 6.00BT headset retails for £89.99.

How to enter to win

You can win a MOMENTUM Free headset with the runner up winning a CX 6.00BT Bluetooth headset.

For your chance to win simply enter below:

Win a Sennheiser MOMENTUM Free Headset

The closing date is 12.00am on 26th March 2018. This contest is only open to those in the UK – sorry!

And thank you again to our friends at Sennheiser for the prizes.

Take a trip with hiyacar and make a memory this Mother’s Day

Andrew Edney
-
0
Take a trip with hiyacar and make a memory this Mother’s Day

Use the code HIYAMUM to get £10 off your booking – minimum spend £40

The majority of mums would rather spend time with their children than receive a gift.

Instead of getting your mum a bunch of flowers, take her to see the beautiful gardens at Kew!

Hiyacar allows the 46% of Londoners that don’t own a car to borrow their neighbours’, making those short trips to see friends and family even easier!

So start an adventure this Sunday by taking your mum on a roadtrip she won’t forget! Here are some of hiyacar’s hints and tops for a great day out this weekend:

• Stay close to home without feeling restricted by the tube line and take a quick trip to see the Orchids Festival at Kew Gardens

• Or branch out of London for a bag of chips on a pebbled (and slightly chilly) Brighton beach. Hiyacar makes the furthest points accessible from your doorstep

• Create your own Mother’s Day Special Carpool Karaoke (just make sure the passenger is doing the filming!!)

All you need to do is download the free app (compatible with both iPhone and Android) or visit the website which lets you enter your locations and ideal pick up and drop off times – it then shows you a map of all the nearby cars for you to choose from to suit your needs at great prices.

With hiyacar’s clever technology, the process is seamless – simply upload your driving license information and you’re good to go, you don’t even need to park up car keys thanks to the QuickStart technology, you can unlock the car from your app!

More information on hiyacar and how to rent a car or list your vehicle can be found at: https://www.hiyacar.co.uk/

Unboxing the February 2018 LootGaming Crate

Andrew Edney
-
0
Unboxing the February 2018 LootGaming Crate

We managed to get February 2018’s LootGaming crate and we are unboxing it for you.

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

The LootGaming Crate always comes very well packaged. Even the inside of the packaging is themed!

This month’s pin!

This month’s t-shirt.

This months LootGaming poster!

This months figure – Mega Man Red Variant!

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time Bento box!

A Legend of Zelda wristband!

A Mega Man Lanyard!

A Space Invaders Vinyl Figure.

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

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

Call of Duty – Black Ops 4 is back this time, it’s out in October

Chris Hare
-
0
Call of Duty – Black Ops 4 is back this time, it’s out in October

Black Ops is back! In what represents a game-changing experience, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will revolutionise the series in Call of Duty history when it launches worldwide on Friday, 12th October for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

So all Call of Duty fans can tune in Thursday, 17th May for more information.

Debut dreamscape fantasy title called “Another Sight” set in Victorian London

Chris Hare
-
0
Debut dreamscape fantasy title called “Another Sight” set in Victorian London

Lunar Great Wall Studios has today revealed ANOTHER SIGHT, a surreal dreamscape fantasy game, set to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in 2018.

ANOTHER SIGHT is a surreal fantasy adventure with steampunk elements set in 1899 towards the end of the Victorian era, in London. Built on heart, culture and character, ANOTHER SIGHT brings to life our two leading characters: Kit, a refreshingly bold teenager, who loses her sight after the under-construction London Underground tunnel she was exploring collapses, and Hodge – a mysterious red-furred cat – she meets in darkness. Together, they team up for an adventure through the unexpected, with Hodge an essential companion upon whom Kit will come to rely on. Kit and Hodge explore a surreal fantasy world both together and apart, using each of their unique talents to tackle environments and solve intriguing puzzles. Beneath London, in a world inspired by Neil Gaiman’s urban fantasy, Neverwhere, Kit and Hodge encounter a hidden society of the world’s greatest inventors and artistic minds such as Claude Monet, Jules Verne and other long-past cultural icons.

Marco Ponte, CEO of Lunar Great Wall Studios said: “The world we’ve created for players to explore in Another Sight is so rich and engaging, filled with heart and discovery.” He continued, “We’re delighted to be showcasing Another Sight at GDC this year, and soon, we’ll be showcasing to the public. Another Sight represents our sentiments as a studio, that games should be emotive, with a unique and compelling experience born of cultural influences that provide different levels of meaning into the worlds we create.”

Another Sight Gameplay Features:

 

EMOTIVE DRIVEN – A story about a girl and her cat companion on a journey beyond sight and the real. A tale of warmth and intrigue is woven throughout the adventure, touching on trust, companionship and losing what we take for granted. Innovative gameplay and a story of the heart is galvanized by a soundscape given life by a symphonic orchestra to accent memorable moments between Kit, Hodge and the journey they’re on.

MASTERS OF THE PAST – Throughout the journey, Kit and Hodge will meet virtuoso artists such as Claude Monet and other cultural-historical figures from the past, learning more about the world and dangers it presents. Each encounter visually impacts the world, taking on aesthetics of each creative movement from the famous characters Kit and Hodge meet.

HIGHLY CREATIVE GAMEPLAY – Use the unique abilities of each character to help Kit and Hodge traverse the world and overcome environmental challenges. The two central characters can split up to investigate different areas of the locale that the other may not be able to reach, with both Kit and Hodge perceiving the world in very different ways, opening up different possibilities for overcoming their adventure.

ANOTHER SIGHT launches in 2018 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Review: Metal Gear Survive

Sean McCarthy
-
0
Review: Metal Gear Survive

This has probably been the most contradictory review I have penned to date, to start with it was a game that I took one look at the reveal trailer and just instantly felt it was not for me. Personally I felt the fatigue from the entire Zombie apocalypse genre over the last few years and after Dying Light the genre was treading water. So when I saw that following the controversial departure of Metal Gear God Hideo Kojima from Konami and the massive fallout from how that all went down, the Metal Gear series was for me at the least, done with. But after playing this game to completion and then in the post game, my views on it have indeed changed and unlike others who have rallied on it to dismiss it in a powerfully negative way, I actually kind of liked it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML5oFv2o5N8

So to get it out the way straight off the bat, I actually found this game fun to play and really enjoyed my time with it but at the same time, it certainly has its flaws and some really curious attempts by those behind it to keep using the Metal Gear formula of games in terms of story telling and character building. Some of it works and some of it is eye rolling cringe at the same time. But the gameplay for me, the survival aspects and crafting especially, did work enough for me to change my opinion on this game from where I was after watching the trailers for it but then the weak story and terrible dialogue mixed with some of the worst voice acting in a game for quite some time, should put this on my avoid at all costs list. So yes, this is quite the weird one for me.

Metal Gear Survive borrows a great many things from Metal Gear V: The Phantom Pain such as the gameplay, game engine and cinematic feel. It also borrows from the story by linking the events to the moment Mother Base is attacked by the XOF and Big Boss and Kazuhira are shown to be escaping by chopper. The cutscene then shifts to the bodies of fallen soldiers all being listed by the surviving Mother Base team along with the UN and we see a mysterious man looking among the dead for a specific body. Scene then switches back to that same soldier, who covered the escape of Big Boss and co by taking out a shooter causing him to sacrifice his own opportunity to escape when suddenly a large worm hole appears above Mother Base sucking all remaining survivors and debris into it. Our soldier manages to hold on enough to avoid going through the worm hole but at the cost of his left arm and well…his life as he falls to his death. Now the scene returns to our mysterious friend six months after the incident, along with the soldier who is now alive and with his left arm back.

This is where the story starts to creak a little for me by beginning with linking this game to MGSV and then going full on straight to DVD film by cranking up the sci-fi and chucking in a wormhole. The mystery man now identified as Goodluck, explains that he needs to send the soldier, to be known simply as Captain going forward, on a mission to another dimension called Dite and tasked with the recovery of data and information from the original mission to Dite by the Charon Corps. Once there the Captain must work to survive from the threat of strange Crystal form Zombies known as Wanderers, recover the lost data the Corps were gathering on Dite and rescue any survivors if possible. Moments after arriving, the Captain encounters the first survivor, a pilot named Reece and together they form a quick plan to escape their first contact with Wanderers before encountering an AI, the original Virgil AT-9 support AI for the Charon Corps who is somehow suffering from memory loss, leads them to their home base and acts as the Captain’s support out in the field.

Before I dive into the issues I have with the story and the characters I think I should start with what I actually did enjoy, the gameplay. For those who have played MGSV you will instantly feel comfortable with the movement, controls and mission styles that make up Survivals core gameplay. The addition of an actual effective survival mechanic changes it up quite a bit. Like any survival game, the Captain will need to eat and drink in order to keep his/her strength up. In addition medical supplies will be needed to treat any illness from eating dodgy food or dirty water as well as potential injuries from combat and accidents. This mechanic works really well and is a constant factor when out exploring or completing missions.

The stand out mechanic for me however is the crafting which is how you can upgrade your gear in terms of armour and weapons which range from basic two handed spears to one handed weapons to more advanced weapons such as guns, bows and explosives. Thanks to the wormhole tech, eventually you can also carry or call in defensive units such as metal fences and barricades to more advanced units like mortars and machine guns. As you explore the world and via natural story progression, new recipes or designs can be obtained and crafted to improve your weapons and armour and defensive designs and has such a natural progression that all it really requires to improve is taking the time to go out and gather the materials needed. Now for the more advanced designs and especially in the end game area of the game, rarer materials will need to be gathered and these can be hard to find. Encampments and wormhole transporter sites, the method of fast travel between the different areas of Dite, hold most materials but between crafting new gear the same materials will also be required to repair them as constant use will cause them to deteriorate and  lose their effectiveness. This will mean that outside of completing main story missions, you will need to go out on expeditions in order to find materials and food to keep going. Crafting will also require Kuban energy which is collected from the killed Wanderers and also natural forming Kuban crystal deposits found out in the world or Dite. Kuban energy is needed for everything from crafting weapons and equipment to cooking food but the main benefit of this resource is in how it can be used to enhance The Captain with new skills to increase health, stamina and combat skills for the various melee weapon types.

The combat itself is also fun, if rather generic in terms of the main threat from Wanderers being a numbers game for the most part. Wanderers exist all over Dite and the difficulty in handling them rises the further into the main story you progress. All Wanderers react to either sound or seeing you directly. Stealth is limited but can be used but usually if you can avoid them then you will be better off. There are different forms of Wanderer that are introduced via story progress but the basic Wanderer is fairly stupid and like all Zombies they simply react and attack which is where the numbers game comes into play. If one is alerted their cries will summon all Wanderers in that area to your presence and most of the time it is just best to take them on. This can lead to some repetitive gameplay though as putting up a simple metal fence in front of you will cause them to all build up against it which can cause the fence to crumble as the clamber to climb it but does make them a pretty easy target for a melee weapon, arrow, bullet or explosive.

This continues in the big combat element to Survival, base defence. During the story you will be called upon to activate a number of wormhole transporters each of which requires a certain amount of time to activate. Once started, it will attract all Wanderers to you forcing you to have to defend the transporter until it has completed its start up which can take anything from a single minute to three. You will need to prevent the Wanderers from destroying the transporter. Now depending on your load-out of choice this could be a tough battle but if honest, even with basic weapons and defensive units, this never really became bothersome. This style of base defense does escalate with the home base itself coming under attack as part of the main story campaign and when utilizing the Wormhole Digger during the story. This essentially is the same gameplay as defending a transporter however it lasts for three waves and large numbers of Wanderers attacking from multiple directions. This can be trickier to manage so having extra ammo for weapons in the repository to call in after each wave is handy.

I did like that after completing the main story campaign there is still more to do with extra missions opening up including a completely random and slightly out of place Boss Battles but that is best left to be discovered once you have completed the main story and it is a very high level which is why new skills can be unlocked and further upgraded by completing the post game missions which should help but will take some effort to get as the amount of Kuban energy required is very high compared to the main story requirements. So there really is plenty of gameplay to be had in this game for the asking price which at the time of writing has Metal Gear Survival physical version available from £20 online which is a fair price I feel for what this offers.

 

Now to the issues with the game which balance out all the good things I enjoyed bout it. First off the story is rather weak mainly because of the loose way it forces itself to be connected to the main canon of Metal Gear V. The massive negative response by fans of the series to this could be well justified but personally I have no problem with spin off titles set in this universe after truly enjoying Metal Gear Rising which was a huge departure in terms of story, main character and gameplay style. There is a definite effort to recreate the same story telling style and dialogue of the Hideo Kojima Metal Gear games and if honest, it does feel very strange but that is only because the writing here and in particular the terrible dialogue which is not helped by some seriously wooden voice acting, undoes some of the good work the actual gameplay does. Characters like Reece or as I came to call him ‘Officer Douche’ never feel natural especially when in the base defence moments literally no one and I mean no one will come to help you which just feels strange when their dialogue suggests they will help you no matter what. The post campaign side also feels just thrown out there to have a world continue and when you do encounter the boss battles you will probably have the same ‘WTF’ reaction that I had.

The co-op side which takes the form of Salvage missions is a great way of earning extra Kuban energy and materials as rewards for doing well. These are essentially multi-wave wormhole digger defence missions which can be played by up to four players using their own ‘Captains’. Thankfully this does have matchmaking so it will search for other players which did take some time on Xbox One to fill a lobby. As well as defending the digger players are also tasked with the competitive task of scoring more points than everyone else by killing the most Wanderers and completing objectives that appear during each wave. This is a fun side mode for the game which is aided by having the matchmaking option to find other players.

Now the really nonsense element and something that there really is no justifying at all by Konami at this point showing their complete ignorance to how fans would react to it are the micro-transactions. The game has its own currency known as SV coins which can be used to purchase various Booster passes from one day to seven days which boosts the amount of Kuban energy you can earn and the supplies generated by your homebase. Now so far a couple of one day booster passes have been given to players as compensation for several issues with the game since launch and there is a log in reward system for playing the game each day with an amount of SV coins given. But real money can be used to purchase these coins but as you can also earn them just by playing the game, for now at least, this side does not bother me as much as the really big insult micro-transaction which by now just about everyone, including those not playing the game, will have heard about. Yes Konami are charging £7.99 per save slot in this game. You naturally get one to start with but if you want to have a second or multiple characters or playthroughs then it will cost you for each save slot which for me is just unforgivable even if this is a budget priced game at this point. Not a wise move by Konami and certainly not a sensible one considering the negative reaction to Survival before its release and after.

It is a shame that Metal Gear Survival has this dark cloud surrounding it which has put many people of before even trying it. It was always going to be a tough going being the very first Metal Gear game without Hideo Kojima and it certainly has not been helped by the save slot shenanigans. Though the story is weak it is not game avoiding level bad to spoil the game experience but the dialogue and voice cast again does nothing to help this game at all. I loved the survival side and the crafting elements really gave me the sensation of getting that pay off in strengthening my Captain as the story progressed. The post game allows for a high end experience that keeps you searching for better designs to craft and the online co-op is fun and offers good rewards for taking part.

Sadly whilst I really enjoyed my time with the game despite issues with the story and writing, this is a game that was indeed almost doomed before it was released and it was an interesting choice to be the first post Kojima Metal Gear game. It is the second spin off and the reaction to Rising was also luke warm at best but as a taste test for how fans would react to anything in this series without Kojima it probably has soured the milk a little. With the price already dropping for the physical copy of this game, this is one worth investing in if you enjoy survival games and were a fan of Metal Gear V: The Phantom Pain and at the right price you will get value for what you pay for it.

Metal Gear Survive is certainly not a terrible example of the survival game genre but it does show that the zombie apocalypse is a very tired concept right now and perhaps not the best choice for the continuation of the Metal Gear series even if it is just a one off side game that simply reused a lot of the Metal Gear V assets and game engine. It does deserve a look at but maybe once it is firmly in the bargain bucket for those unsure about it. But I enjoyed it enough to get all the way through to the post game side though I doubt I will get the urge to replay the main story any time soon, and certainly not for the asking price of £7.99 per save slot.

1...540541542...1,616Page 541 of 1,616