With Ferrari celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2017, Thrustmaster’s goal was to launch exceptional racing wheels reflecting the history and style of the famed ‘Prancing Horse’ automaker. The first piece is a limited edition of a particularly iconic model: the timeless 250 GTO wheel, more beautiful than ever even at 55 years young.
The Ferrari 250 GTO Wheel Add-On, for PC, is an official Ferrari-licensed 8:10 scale replica (at 13 inches/33 cm in diameter) of the wheel of the Ferrari 250 GTO – one of the most legendary cars ever created, and three-time consecutive GT world champion from 1962 through 1964. Thrustmaster’s model proudly sports all of the original wheel’s features, first and foremost in terms of materials. The Ferrari 250 GTO Wheel Add-On boasts a metal faceplate and internal structure, an authentic chrome logo plate in the center, plus genuine high-quality wood covering the wheel’s entire circumference with a black ring running through the middle: the resulting design is understated and sleek. All of these carefully-reproduced details transport the user right back to the 1960s. One only needs to test out the Ferrari 250 GTO in the game Assetto Corsa (available as part of the Ferrari 70th Anniversary DLC Pack), for example, to find oneself fully immersed in real vintage car racing sensations, with their inimitable panache.
Elegantly presented in a collector’s gift box featuring a hot-stamped inner foam display, the Ferrari 250 GTO Wheel Add-On is also a superb collector’s item, proudly harkening back to the true glory days of car racing competition and its heroes. The real-life Ferrari 250 GTO car (“Gran Turismo Omologato” in Italian, meaning “certified for grand touring”) was very much a limited edition in and of itself, with just 36 manufactured between 1962 and 1964. Thrustmaster has therefore chosen to only produce a limited number of these replica wheels as well, in homage to the extreme rarity of the original car.
Truly extensive compatibility: live the history of car racing like never before!
Thanks to its Thrustmaster Quick Release system, the Ferrari 250 GTO Wheel Add-On is compatible on PC exclusively (Windows® 10, 8, 7) with Thrustmaster T-series racing wheels – TS-PC Racer*, TS-XW Racer*, T-GT*, T500 RS*/**, T300 series*, TX series* – as well as with the TH8A Add-On Shifter*. Using the TH8A Add-On Shifter in “H”-pattern gearshift mode alongside the Ferrari 250 GTO Wheel Add-On will take users even further into the mythical history of car racing: an era when drivers had to wring every cubic centimeter’s worth of total displacement out of an engine, without any electronic assistance and only by ear – like the 250 cubic centimeters of displacement put out by each of this particular car engine’s 12 cylinders, immortalized in the name of the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO.
The FERRARI 250 GTO WHEEL ADD-ON will be available from December 20, 2017, at a suggested retail price of £349.99 (taxes included).
Serial Cleaner releases on Nintendo Switch worldwide Today (except Japan), the game is available for £11.99. Serial Cleaner’s global publisher, Curve Digital, and iFun4All.
Serial Cleaner is the third game by iFun4all, available on Nintendo Switch. Green Game: Timeswapper has launched on the 17th of November and Red Game Without a Great Name is coming to Switch this Friday, on the 24th of November.
The Folio Society has a number of beautifully illustrated reproductions of Ian Fleming’s Bond novels. Moonrakeronce more features the talents of Fay Dalton, who has provided images and a stunning slipcase.
Moonraker by Ian Fleming The Folio Society edition
Sir Hugo Drax is England’s darling: the self-made millionaire whose gift of a nuclear warhead promises a new era of peace for a nation afraid of a third world war. When M asks Bond to find out why this illustrious man cheats at cards, his concern is only for Drax’s reputation. But when two men die at the ‘Moonraker’ plant in a bizarre murder-suicide, just days before the weapon’s practice shoot, Bond must uncover the terrible truth of Drax’s enterprise and the dark history behind his abominable plans.
Fay Dalton is a London-based illustrator. She has a first-class degree in Illustration and was the winner of the 2010 Pickled Ink Award for illustration. Fay combines traditional drawing and painting methods with digital painting. She has also illustrated From Russia With Love (2016), Dr No (2017) and Casino Royal (2017) for The Folio Society.
The presentation of the book, from the artwork on the case, to the printing on the spine, is lovely – just like the other books in the series.
Having read the James Bond books when I was a child I was eager to see the illustrations from Fay Dalton and how well they integrated into the story, and I wasn’t disappointed. The illustrations are amazing and really help to bring certain scenes to life, just like the other books in the series.
If you are a fan of James Bond books, this one is a must for your collection. I cant wait to see which book The Folio Society and Fay Dalton release next.
Available now from the Folio Society priced £34.95.
Watch the first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War coming 27th April 2018 here in the UK, Marvel has been building up to this moment, with Thanos being the most terrifying enemy the Avengers — and the Guardians of the Galaxy — will ever take on.
Avengers: Infinity War will also act as Spider-Man’s third movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following a short introduction in Captain America: Civil War and his most recent feature-length debut in Spider-Man: Homecoming. It will follow the release of Black Panther, which is set to debut on 12th February 2018.
Avengers: Infinity War will be released on 27th April 2018 here in the UK.
Watch the new trailer for Black Mirror – Black Museum coming to Netflix soon, it tells the story a lone traveller who stumbles across a tourist-friendly crime museum with a shocking star attraction. This episode, written by Charlie Brooker stars Douglas Hodge, Letitia Wright and Babs Olusanmokun, and has been directed by Colm McCarthy.
It’s time for another great competition, this time our friends at Sennheiser have given us a GSP 303 Need for Speed Payback edition headset and a code for the game on Xbox One.
The Sennheiser GSP 303 Need for Speed Payback Edition delivers a mesmerising gaming experience. The ultra-comfortable XL memory foam ear pads ensure best-in-class acoustic isolation, while its famed acoustic technology enhances every racing session with even greater clarity and realism in audio. Get ready for some serious fun and experience the sound of the engines to the fullest.
Key Feature Benefits:
Closed acoustic gaming headset
Sennheiser sound quality with improved bass performance and acoustic clarity
Superior comfort and fit due to split headband
Long-lasting durability secured by extensive testing and high-quality materials
Intuitive volume control on right ear cup for on-the-fly adjustments
XL memory foam ear pads for the best-in-class acoustic seal and comfort
Broadcast quality noise-cancelling microphone
Automatic microphone mute by raising the boom arm
Compatible with PC, Mac, PS4™ and consoles with the PCV 05 combo audio adaptor
2-year international warranty
How to enter to win
We have a Sennheiser GSP 303 Need for Speed Payback Edition Headset and Xbox One game code to giveaway.
Hand of Fate 2, the follow-up to Defiant Development action RPG, will release for Xbox One on Friday, 1st December. Xbox One X compatibility will deliver stunning 4K Ultra HD visual support.
Set one hundred years after the climactic showdown in the original game, Hand of Fate 2 sees the Dealer return to seek vengeance and train a new apprentice in the Game of Life and Death.
Once again, players face a series of trials built from magical collectible cards. Shuffled and laid out into dungeons, each draw presents a new scenario that may help or hinder their journey including valuable items, essential supplies, pitfalls, or combat encounters that bring the cards to life with combo-driven hack-and-slash battles.
The Dealer has made a number of additions to the game in his decades of exile, including new companion characters who can assist players both at the table and in battle, a character creator, more table-top minigames, an overhauled combat system, and an overworld map that frames a more engaging story with a variety of mission objectives.
“The reception to Hand of Fate 2 thus far has been incredible,” said Morgan Jaffit, Director, Defiant Development. “It’s been extremely gratifying to see so many people enjoy what we’ve been working on these past years and we are excited to share this experience with the Xbox One community this December.”
Hand of Fate 2 is currently available on PlayStation 4 and PC for $29.99 USD / €24.99 / $29.99 AUD and will launch for the same price on Xbox One. The game supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese.
It might not seem like a big milestone, but Sega seemed intent on emphasising the fact that the first Sonic game was released 26 years, when it was promoting the releases of Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces. It turns out that Sonic Mania was a successful experiment, so it was down to Sonic Forces to hopefully close out the all year round celebrations on a high note.
In celebration of a console that brought wonder into the lives of so many, and a brand that reshaped the whole entertainment industry, the authors and Geeks-Line retrace Sony’s incredible journey. Read about the creation of the company following World War II, to the machine’s retirement in the early 2000s. Featuring 26 interviews with important figures, from throughout the era, recount their experiences with unabashed honesty, painting a detailed picture of the great venture led by Ken Kutaragi. Much like the successful Nintendo 64 Anthology book, the PlayStation Anthology is unique in both form and content.
The PlayStation Anthology, hardback book, offers a wealth of fascinating facts and insight into the development of the PlayStation console, the people behind the machine, the games, along with the complete collector’s guide to (*) 4500 titles released in every territory. * (Only the Collector’s Editor offers the Collector’s Guide)
You will be given an insight into its genesis, the context in which it was developed, and understand the commercial and marketing power of Sony itself. The PlayStation Anthology sheds light on the birth of the PlayStation and Sony, the company’s triumph, as well as its shortcomings, strategies, technological advancements and, of course, its fantastical games library.
A sample of in book information:
• A Full History of the Machine – From its Genesis, Successes, and Fame, to its Well-Earned Retirement
• Official Games that Were Cancelled
• Official Accessories
• 26 Exclusive Interviews
• Never-Before-Released Information
• The Rarest and Most Sought-After Games
• 458 paged hardback (Collector’s Edition) (Classic Edition 386 pages)
With the recent surge of interest in retro games/machines, the PlayStation Anthology marks out the PlayStation territory right from the very start in one fantastic hit with a reference work of infinite detail opening up a world that was the iconic platform for today’s console arena.
PlayStation Anthology – Classic Edition is available Amazon UK, also The Collector’s Edition of the Playstation Anthology Book (with 72 additional pages) is available on the
There is always something special about a new LEGO game, especially when it also just happens to be using one of my own nerd passions as the source material. I really loved the first LEGO MARVEL Super Heroes title, as a fan of MARVEL comic books and of LEGO games, it was sublime to see how large a chunk of the MARVEL universe was brought to life in LEGO with a huge roster of characters and a large world and back in 2013 when it first came out, it really was a game changer for the series after taking so much of the feedback from LEGO Batman 2 to improve its size and scale. Since that time the MARVEL Cinematic world has flourished and grown to crazy levels and instead of a follow up to Super Heroes, we were instead treated to a LEGO game based on the Avengers films and though it was fun, it was also very limited. But now finally we get the true sequel and perhaps the largest roster of characters in a LEGO game to date.
We start with the Guardians of the Galaxy doing what they do best, protecting the galaxy when they are called upon to help protect Nova Prime who are under attack from Kang the Conqueror. Soon they discover that Kang has been travelling through time conquering different MARVEL locations in order to create his own crowning city to celebrate his majesty and genius, Chronopolis. The Guardians soon rush to EARTH, realising that it is next on Kang’s list to get help to defeat Kang, and it will take all our favourite heroes to do this.
It should be mention that unlike the first game, the roster this time has been affected by licensing issues and as such, and very sadly, the game no longer features those from the X-Men Universe which means no Wolverine or Cyclops and no Fantastic Four. Even Deadpool who was a fun Narrator and extra surprise in the first game is now replaced with GwenPool, who despite dressing like and acting like Deadpool does not have any of his abilities or affiliation but based on a special run of comics following the success of Spider-Gwen (Gwen Stacey becoming Spider-Man) which saw Gwen Stacey re-imagined as different MARVEL heroes including Wolverine and Doctor Strange. With so many fan favourites now missing from the line up, there has been a obvious focus on distracting fans by featuring more recent cinematic favourites such as the Guardians of the Galaxy who take a front and centre position in the roster as well as some of the characters getting a visual look such as Spider-Man now wearing the Spider-Man Homecoming suit and Thor with short hair as seen in Thor Ragnarok. It is noticeable but does not spoil too much of the story itself but I did miss having the X-Men in the roster.
So with that said I really had a great deal of fun with this game and was genuinely impressed with the size of the playable world. There is a true open world feel to the game following on from previous titles such as LEGO Batman 3 Beyond Gotham and LEGO MARVEL Avengers where outside of doing the main story missions, players are free to explore any of the locations that make up Chronopolis, each with their own side missions and puzzles to complete as the player works to collect the now traditional Gold bricks and to find new characters to unlock in the roster. I appreciated how the game doesn’t pressure players to stick to the campaign, simply placing a marker to where the next story mission is and simply lets players enjoy a good explore and walk about. This is where the magic that makes a LEGO game so much fun comes into play with the freedom to do and play as you want but also that the game embraces players who choose to do this by having so much extra content to enjoy and play for doing so.
I also loved the little details as always in LEGO games with the dialogue of just random people who live in the different regions often chatting about the current state of the world or talking about the heroes themselves with some really delightful moments of dialogue exchanges you can come across just randomly. That attention to detail also follows with each and every member of the roster with some having very fun character abilities when you hold B down (Circle on PS4) which fans of the series will recognise but with certain characters this will also have a superb little touch such as Star Lord who will stop to put on his walkman which will play the first 40 seconds or so of well known songs from Guardians of the Galaxy to which he will start dancing to and if any basic enemies are nearby, will also join in for a bit of a boogie, even in the middle of a boss fight! The fun of discovering such things are all part of the make up that make LEGO games so much fun for fans of them and especially for those who know the source material used really well. Also Kang is the best written villain in any LEGO game so far, the dialogue he has is so well voice acted that just stopping to listen to him on the Chronopolis PA System is a true joy.
It would be fair to say that the focus of the gameplay now revolves around playing as a team and most of the story missions themselves feature anything from a three character team to up to five. Now the player can switch between the characters quickly using the shoulder buttons and each character is there for a reason based upon their powers for what is required for that mission. Some of the team ups can be quite fun but I did find that the same core characters are used a lot with the introduction of a new character whenever the location of the story moves to next visiting a new city that makes up Chronopolis. Teamwork is vital in solving some of the puzzles to gain progression with certain powers required and the design of the levels both from a gameplay and visual point of view are truly spot on. The only real niggle I had to the level design has to come in the form of the push for ‘Free Play’ to complete everything. For those not familiar with LEGO games, when you complete a story mission you will unlock the ‘Free Play’ option which allows you to replay the mission but with free choice over which character from the roster you can pick, with the added ability to freely change during the level just by holding down Y (Triangle on PS4) to bring up the large character roster.
My only complaint with this comes in just how much of the level is really designed for Free Play, a lot of the mini kit collectibles, new character cards and even rescuing Stan Lee, who returns to make his famous MARVEL cameos, will require a different character power then your team will have. The fun of first hearing Stan asking for a super hero to save him soon becomes one of disappointment when you are unable to save him but his cries can be heard right up until you move to the next section of the level.
One of the downsides to having a fairly large hero team each level is that the combat itself can feel really clumsy, especially when using big characters such as Hulk with the combat just becoming a button mash which then undoes the attempt to feature the hero team up combo moves with the hit detection being off at times. The loss in precision just makes it ugly at times which is highlighted more in the boss fights with no real reaction when you hit the boss character and even at times you can get their health bar all the way down but the fight carries on until the animation sequence is completed. The camera can also be a pain at times with flying characters and during some levels not offering enough view or moving too slowly to help you know where to go or see where to land. But these niggles do interfere too much but are noticeable enough and hopefully future updates can smooth these out.
LEGO MARVEL Super Heroes 2 is a return to form for the LEGO series in the MARVEL universe after taking a time out to focus on adapting the movies into a game. With the freedom to tell their own MARVEL story in their own LEGO MARVEL universe, the game is able to tell a better and original story with the TT Games spin and it more than delivers enough fan service for MARVEL fans and LEGO game fans. As someone who worked to get 100% of the game done on both the Xbox 360 release and PlayStation 4 remastered of the first game, I will admit to being a little daunted by just how much there is to do in Super Heroes 2 but the world is just such a fun place to be in as a player that I know I will relish every moment until that final Gold Brick and roster character is discovered. I get a real kick out of seeing the different variations of heroes from different time eras so having Spider-Man Noir meeting modern day Spider-Man before meeting Spider-Man 2099 is a real treat. I do appreciate the blending of their own vision of the MARVEL universe and that of taking cinematic MARVEL universe as different players will know these heroes from different mediums either comic books, the films or TV animation shows. The effort to include every form of MARVEL fan here in the fan service appeal is something I found satisfying.
With Christmas approaching this is the perfect gift for any MARVEL fan, although I am still very disappointed that online co-op is still not included but they have tried to encourage some sofa team ups with the new four player Battle arena but what I have pleaded with for so long now is a return to having actual online co-op for these games and with team ups now standard, it would be so much fun to share this experience with friends online instead of it purely being a solo experience story wise. There is just so much to do and enjoy in this game which made me smile from the very moment I started the story to the moment the credits finished rolling, by the way there are also post credit scenes you do not want to miss so do watch them fully even if the only song that plays is Mr Blue Sky which will have you dancing for the first two times it plays but by the time the fourth repeat of it kicks in you will have to right the urge to skip the credits.
The season pass is a very acceptable £11.99 and will being six new levels and character packs to an already huge experience, some will be based on future MARVEL cinematic films such as Ant-Man and the Wasp as well as Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. There is so much MARVEL content to come with this game in the future that it is just staggering how much they can put into these games which just keep getting bigger with each release.
Now I am just hoping the next release will either take us back to the DC Comic universe or my own personal hope is a fully fledged out Doctor Who game…but for now, I am going to indulge in my MARVEL fanboy and I still have a lot of work to do in Chronopolis!
Zoopa, a snakebyte group brand, announced this week the Phoenix HD and Phoenix HD Pro S, a new line of high-performance drones engineered in Germany. With both drones featuring integrated 2-axis camera stabilization (gimbal) technology, the Phoenix is capable of capturing silky-smooth images and video at HD resolutions and all at an incredible price, unique for such a high-specification.
The Phoenix HD and HD Pro S brings advanced features like auto land and take-off, auto hover and return functionality combines with pro level camera setup into a price segment never seen before.
Available in two flavours: HD & HD Pro S, both drones feature HD cameras with the standard HD shooting at a 720p resolution, and the HD Pro S upgrading to full 1080p. Users can view their photography in real time, sending images direct to their smartphone thanks to on board Wi-Fi video technology.
“We continue to see the appetite for drones continue to grow with consumers, who demand greater features and better value. The Phoenix HD has been designed to leapfrog the competition and deliver an incredible feature set at a uniquely competitive price,” said Nick Repenning, CEO for snakebyte USA. “Ideal for beginner and expert alike, the Phoenix pushes the boundaries of design and performance, and we believe will be instrumental with cementing the brand as a leader in this rapidly evolving market.”
The Phoenix HD retails for an MSRP of $179.99 and the Phoenix HD Pro S retails for an MSRP of $229.99.
To say that I was disappointed in the Guardians of the Galaxy Telltale series would be an understatement with it missing so many of the marks it began with so excitingly. However in direct comparison, the second Batman Telltale series ‘Enemy Within’ has continued the excellent first series with two episodes that have really stood out for me as some of Telltale’s best work in recent years in terms of design structure and story. My choices so far have had some very heavy consequences for Bruce Wayne as he juggles being Gotham’s Dark Knight but now forced into putting Bruce into the lions den. Episode two ended with an old friend making a surprise visit to add even more complications to the mix. One thing is for sure, Bruce Wayne is in for quite a ride in Episode 3 ‘Fractured Mask’.
*Spoiler Warning for Player Choices made in Episodes 1, 2 and 3 ahead*
So thanks to my player choices, at this moment in the story Bruce Wayne as himself is currently working undercover to infiltrate the criminal gang ‘The Pact’ led by Harley Quinn and made up of Mr Freeze, Bane and John Doe who has yet to become the man we know he will end up becoming, The Joker. To do this I had to make some very weighty choices that have put Bruce Wayne’s personal life at Way Enterprises difficult and put him firmly in the cross hairs of commissioner Gordon whilst at the same time also putting the relationship between Batman and Gordon also in jeopardy with the tenuous and forced team up with Amanda Waller’s Agency. So just imagine my surprise when the ex shows up with Catwoman making a grand entrance just as the body of the now deceased Riddler is revealed to be in Harley’s possession.
I just cannot help by being constantly impressed with the tone and details in the writing that keeps the pace of this series running so smoothly with such a large ensemble cast of characters and multiple relationships to track and manage with decisions. Each episode so far has reminded me of decisions I took in the first series and those now shape new decisions. For the first time in a genuinely long time with Telltale games, the splash screen that opens each episode of “The story is shaped around decisions you make” actually means just that and you can feel that in each episode here. The opportunity is there to craft your own Batman universe and every character encounter and dialogue exchange furthers this. The best example of this is shown in this episode in conversations with both Catwoman and John Doe. Here and especially if you are aware of the DC Universe, you can see how each player choice option can take the story down a different road. For example when the opportunity appears do you help shape the very foundation of what the Joker will be by giving advice to John to woo Harley Quinn or try and continue the romance with Catwoman that started in the first season or keeping it completely a professional relationship and keep your distance?
Unlike other recent Telltale titles, this series constantly keeps the story going and building with each episode and the players will have genuine dilemmas to deal with that continue to shape the story. Being kept on your toes instead of just going with the flow is one of the strengths of this season so far and episode three continues to do that by giving chances to reflect and see the consequences of some decisions made so far whilst creating moments where even the smallest of dialogue choices can shape events to come. These choices also feel fair and so far unlike in the Guardians of the Galaxy, there have been zero no win scenarios that leave the player feeling out of touch with the way the story is playing out so it keeps the focus on the story and makes everything you do feel important.
But the main reason why this second season is doing so well for me personally and is so showcased so excellently in this episode is how the focus remains on Bruce Wayne, the man underneath both masks he chooses to wear. This then makes the time when he does put on the Batsuit more special and impactful each time. The genius in this is how the writers have used it by allowing the player to really make different choices as Batman and Bruce such as when dealing with John Doe where Bruce has to keep him onside to help keep his cover but Batman on the other hand can dismiss John such as Bruce allowing John to take a selfie with him and giving him a high five when he thinks they have done well to a similar situation where John finally meets Batman and John tries to do the same but now you can decide to either do the same or take the option you think Batman and therefore Bruce would really do. I really like these scenes and the attention to detail alongside the continued superb voice acting just elevates the story nicely.
I am really enjoying this season far more than I expected. As a sequel it has brilliantly followed up with choices players have made in the first season and the story being told is introducing new characters so well and you can really see the Batverse beginning to take shape, and it is one that I know my decisions are making a difference in. I am enjoying the teasing of the soon to be born Joker character but also loving the twists in well known characters such as Harley Quinn being a main villain instead of the side kick to Joker and I did go a little DC fanboy when given the opportunity to give John advice on how to win the heart of Harley by embracing his true self knowing full well that his true self is what makes The Joker so dangerous a nemesis for Batman.
Episode 3 ‘Fractured Mask’ is a great mid season episode by giving the player moments to reflect on choices already made but in how it is still evolving the story and moving characters forward. The intricate design of the story is evident in how it places the key player choice moments but also in the little subtle choices that form the relationships Bruce Wayne has as himself and as Batman. The stakes are still high with a danger still to come that will test all that Bruce and Batman is set to face his deadliest battle yet. The story has me gripped and I am eager for the next episode and tempted to replay it to see what impact different choices would have had.
This is a strong episode and for me this season continues to be the best work Telltale has done this year.
I am not happy with Star Wars Battlefront II, both as a gamer but especially as a life long Star Wars fan. By now the controversy surrounding the game is fully known and aware to everyone including those who are not even fans of the FPS genre. I loved the first Battlefront but it was very much a case of loving the fan service more than loving the actual game which was at the end of the day rather shallow and basic and absolutely the prototype game model for rebooting this series. But I like many others were put off by the extortionate Season Pass price and so never followed up with any of the DLC and honestly once the hype for The Force Awakenings film has passed, the casual tone to it wore off and it collected dust. Star Wars Celebration 2017 had a big reveal of Battlefront II information such as DICE and EA recognizing all the fan feedback and made steps to address them by adding a single player campaign that fans screamed for and to abolish the Season Pass by stating all DLC would be free. The hype train was back on track and I was in first class for the journey. But then it all went wrong as soon as I played the beta and it seems that some lessons were not learned at all and in fact, they sabotaged their own Deathstar!
I hated what I played in the Beta, so much so that I cancelled my pre-order of the digital deluxe version of the game. I just did not like how it felt not to mention major server issues on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and there was just a disturbance in the Force that something was not quite right. Jump to the week early access if you had EA Access on Xbox One or Origin on PC and the realization of my worst fears started to dawn. What then happened for that week was more U-turns and back stepping from EA and DICE that left me confused and angry ahead of the games worldwide launch on Friday 17th November and oh will that be a day long remembered as the gamer rebellion flew down the trench of the EA machine, launched a proton torpedo that caused a chain reaction that blew up the Micro-transaction system as EA turned off the controversial system seen by many as the pay to win business model on the very morning the game launched. This is a huge part of this game’s experience but I will come to it later because the game itself even with that system turned off for now, has a whole load of problems that need to be addressed.
First let us take a look at the campaign, one which was presented as a fully canon and unique story campaign starring a new lead character in Iden Versio. What was supposed to make this campaign stand out was that in all the trailers and interviews with Janina Gavankar who voiced Iden, was that this was a story firmly set from the prospective of someone who had been born and raised within the Empire, someone who believed in what it stood for and saw the Rebel Alliance as a threat that had to be stamped out. Iden Versio is the daughter of high ranking Imperial Admiral Garrick Versio and is raised to be an elite pilot and soldier who becomes the Commander of Inferno Squad. Inferno is a Special Forces unit put together following the destruction of the first Death Star with the sole purpose of using any and all means to prevent anything like that happening again that would put the Empire at risk. This whole premise grabbed my attention right away with the opportunity to see the story told from the other side of the conflict.
For the first few missions this is exactly when the story is the most interesting with the story starting on the forest moon of Endor right at the climax to Return of the Jedi with Inferno Squad on the ground trying to prevent the rebels from destroying the shield generator that is protecting the second Death Star. However, Han Solo, Chewie and Princess Leia have already completed their mission and soon Iden and her squad can do nothing but watch as high above them the Death Star explodes. Retreating to her father’s ship, she is then informed to her shock and horror that the Emperor himself is dead but has left a messenger droid with instructions to begin Operation Cinder, a fail safe order should he have died. Now fueled by anger and hate, Iden is sent on missions to begin this operation. Sadly though, whilst trying to avoid too many spoilers here, this initial premise for which the story was advertised as, soon devolves into another generic “oh the Empire is actually really bad so we should probably try to stop them” story which really ticked me off. It would have been rather brave to have stuck with this story and see how the events of the first Trilogy had an impact on those who were not only raised in the Empire but also fully believed in its values and beliefs. Return of the Jedi ended with fireworks and statues being torn down around the Empire worlds (well thanks to the added scenes by George Lucas later on) and we never really as fans got to experience the fall of the Empire, it was just done. This was a chance to really tell that story from the very heart of the Imperial Army in Iden Versio, an extremely capable and deadly threat to the Rebel Alliance.The campaign does have some very nice moments in the story but pretty soon becomes more of a slew of cameo appearances when the player for no real reason suddenly move from controlling Iden to playing as hero characters such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and even Lando Calrissian on different missions. Some of these do work and are enjoyable such as Luke encountering Inferno Squad member Del during a mission which challenges what Del has been taught and understands about the Jedi through his interactions with Luke. But some just feel stupid and a blatant attempt to just tie in locations fans will recognise such as the Han Solo mission, which on the surface is actually a nice touch as we find him on Takodana looking for a rebel contact there bringing him into contact with Maz Kanata and events that completely explain why she is less than happy to see him in The Force Awakenings. What then spoils it all and is something that is threaded throughout most of the hero missions is some of the most cringe worthy awful attempts at comedy dialogue that almost parody the Star Wars story which really annoyed me as a fan and left me eye rolling more than appreciating the use of so many references.
The ending also bothered me as it certainly had the “to be continued in DLC” tone to it which is not so bad if in fact all DLC is to be given to players for Free so could potentially be tied into the release of future content so all players can enjoy it but it still left me with the “wait what happens next” vibe which is great if you know a new film is coming in two years but not so great if you just dropped up to £50 for a game. I liked Iden as a character and the voice cast for the main cast is really spot on but I do feel that they squandered the chance to really tell an interesting story but instead failed to live up to what was both claimed and promised in the hype leading into the release.
The first game was all about the Multiplayer but it also suffered from having very few modes and that is the same case here with only five real MP Modes for players to sink their teeth into. Galactic Assault is the big team mode here with 20 Vs 20 matches where one side plays as the Imperial Forces and the other as the Rebels with one side defending whilst the other attacks. Now here it is full on war with every class, hero and vehicle available in the matches and the scale is indeed pretty huge as ground fighting and air battles all raging at the same time and feels the closest to the Battlefield foundation that this has clearly been built on. Next up we have Strike, an 8 Vs 8 match using objective based gameplay whilst Blast is your traditional team deathmatch mode. Heroes vs Villains is very entertaining as two teams of 4 get to use the hero or villain characters to do battle though the combat can feel a little sluggish and one sided when Lando is faced with fighting Darth Maul.
My favourite mode is still Star Fighter Assault, a 12 vs 12 player mode, which puts players in the cockpit of either Imperial or Rebel Alliance star fighters with dog fighting and objectives the key elements of the mode. This is still the biggest fan service mode for me, there is nothing quite like taking control of an X-Wing fighter and going full on Red Five against other players in some truly stunning maps and high above well known Star Wars locations. This is still and probably will be my go to mode as it was in the first game and still the most satisfying whether I win or lose the match. But even this mode has been tainted by a new addition to the game which I will come to later.
Two new elements to the multiplayer which I do celebrate are the addition of a true class system and Battlepoints. Now the game has a class of soldier system much like battlefront with Assault, Heavy, Officer and Specialist to choose to fight as. Assault is your basic grunt on the ground infantry whilst the Heavy Class gets to use powerful weapons to mow down enemies. Officer class is really the support class and can heal others which is great when playing in a squad with friends. The Specialist is the sniper class, great at long range but really rubbish close up. The second addition of Battlepoints is the real game changer for me. Much like the system used in HALO 5, everything you do in a match earns you Battlepoints which can then be spent to use a hero character or vehicle the next time you spawn in the match. In the first game you had to rely upon finding a Hero power up token scattered around the map in order to play as a hero, who made it very annoying and disappointing when you couldn’t find one or that one player kept on nabbing it first. Now your own performance can lead to just spending points to become a hero once they become available. The number of hero/hero vehicles that you can have at any one time in the match is sensibly limited so you can’t suddenly have three Yoda’s all running about but it is a fair system because of the length of most matches giving even the lowest skilled player the opportunity to get a hero at some point in the match.
This brings me to my biggest gripe with the Multiplayer on the whole and quite frankly where EA suits have taken all the good will from the whole “no season pass, all DLC will be free” by focusing on merging the progression system and star card system with the controversial and soul destroying money leeching loot-crate system. Progression in the game is focused almost entirely with the requirement of Star Cards. Star Cards, much like the first game, add new abilities or enhanced attributes to classes, heroes and vehicles. In fact the number of Star Cards and their tier is how each class is rated now, not by how much you play as that class, but how many cards you have unlocked, crafted or upgraded. Each class, hero and vehicle has three star card slots but you can only unlock the other slots once the value of the star cards for that class has been increased by having more star cards or high value ones. Scrap can be used to both craft and upgrade star cards with different tiers of value the more you upgrade a card and the only way to get scrap is with loot crates. So, here we go with my rant.
Loot boxes can be purchased using credits earned from playing with three types of crates, Trooper Crate, Hero Crate and Fighter Crate. Now you can earn crates from completing challenges for each class, playing the campaign and each day you log into the game but the progression system is completely based on players grinding to earn credits, which is not exactly a very generous amount per game in the first place, to buy new crates. Now the crates can contain scrap and new star cards with any duplicates awarding more credits however it also contains cosmetic stuff like emotes and victory poses. Just like the Overwatch crates however, you will get random items for all classes and heroes/villains especially those you may not play as. Now the logic DICE says is behind this is to encourage players to try out different classes which is fair but it still sucks when you have spent an hour to earn enough for one or two crates and literally get nothing but junk. The grind is real and it is painful because the Star Cards once you start to upgrade them are a huge factor to performance with some increasing weapon damage to increasing how much damage you can take which takes me to the pay to win element.
Yes right now the system to use real money to purchase the in game currency of ‘Crystals’ to buy loot boxes immediately has been temporarily disabled, it is very clear that this was always the intention behind the loot box system tied into progression. The grind to earn enough credits to buy loot boxes to gain star cards or the really important resource in scrap, is crazy and micro-transactions are absolutely designed to circumvent and bypass the grind. Even with it turned off you can already see the Pay to win mechanic in effect with those who bought the regular version to those who bought the digital deluxe version which gave them instant access to high level star cards and weapons. The difference is really insane and in this first week of release, that difference can make some matches an absolute waste of time when you come up against someone with that advantage so you can just imagine someone with some extra cash in their pocket deciding to drop a bunch on loot crates and instantly gaining an advantage in all multiplayer modes. This adds the pressure to spend real money just to re-balance the game which should be taken care of by normal progression by just playing the game. The progression/Star Card system is holding this game back so much and until we know what the changes that EA/DICE have promised they are making before they consider flipping the switch on micro-transactions again.
I am so angry with Battlefront II right now it is honestly the biggest disappointment of 2017 for me. Where fan service carried the first game alone, here it is so not enough because the grind and the progression system is just so negative to the enjoyment of being in a Star Wars game that though the visuals and audio effects can be instantly immersive and impactful as a fan of Star Wars, the gameplay completely snaps you out of the experience as everything becomes about loot boxes and not about being in the Star Wars Universe. How DICE and EA took all the feedback and started with the good intentions by adding a campaign mode which fans called for removing the Season Pass pay-wall and then behind the scenes managed to screw it all up by focusing on their stock values and money grabbing pay to win system with the loot boxes will leave me scratching my head for years to come. Right now there is just no way I can recommend anyone to buy this game, even if you are a die hard Star Wars fan because so much of this game is in flux. Two days before full release the cost of unlocking hero characters was dropped by 75% and then on the very day of release, the ability to buy in game currency was temporarily turned off. With changes being promised and only a few weeks now before the first new content drops when The Last Jedi film nears release, the game as it is right now could be very different by that time which is quite frankly nuts for a game in its first month of release and is way too unstable to invest your money in.
There are some good elements here and in Starfighter Assault I can just live out a little of my Star Wars childhood dream but overall there is just too much wrong with this game to pay full price for. Wait for the Christmas or new year sales for this because with so much controversy the price is sure to drop and drop quickly as physical sales are already way below that of even the first game. DICE and EA have so much work to do to get this both enjoyable and workable but the trust from the gaming community is already shattered. Star Wars should always be about the fans, something the statement from Disney made a point of saying and is something EA and DICE need to get back on board with. Make the best Star Wars experience for fans you can make and go take a look at the original series some twelve years ago now for inspiration on how to just do that. This game promised Star Wars from across all the eras but on release it is very light on that content which presumably is set for DLC in the future but I want to play as Mace Windu, I want to fight as Annakin and Obi-Wan in the clone wars for example not just the Saga films.
EA and DICE got just about everything wrong about not only what fans of the first games wanted in this sequel but also what those fans would consider reasonable in terms of micro-transactions. This game has sent shockwaves throughout the industry for all the wrong reasons and currently this game is in a real pickle that has to be fixed. Ironically in the weeks leading to the release of Battlefront II they put the price of the original game down to just £3 on both consoles and made the whole season pass content available for free. Returning to that game is more enjoyable than playing the new game and that says it all for me right now.
To mark this year’s Black Friday event the smart home company has announced, there is 25% off selected Hive products when bought directly from www.hivehome.com.
The offer is available on several products in the Hive smart home range, including:
Hive Active Heating (both self-install and professional install packages)
Hive Window or Door Sensor
Hive Motion Sensor
Hive Active Lights (Dimmable, Cool to Warm White and Colour Changing)
Hive Active Plug
The sale runs from Tuesday 21st November – 1st December (inclusive). Existing Hive customers will have early access to the sales from Monday 20th November.
In addition, there will be 1 month free on Hive plans, which have been introduced to give consumers greater choice when buying into the smart home. With Hive plans, customers have the option to cover everything upfront or spread the cost over 12 months interest-free.