Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Dan Hobbs
Pure Pool Review: It Is Definitely A Video Game About Pool
Every time I sit down to play a game based on some sort of real life sport, the same dilemma runs through my head… why am I playing the virtual version of something I can do out in the real world? I may not be able to putt like Woods, score like Beckham, or run absurdly fast like Bolt, but I can head down to the nearest playing field and make a decent go at it. However, those games allow a form of wish fulfillment to take place on the part of the player, giving them the chance for the sport to be recreated at its highest level. Pool, on the other hand, is a more two-dimensional sport. There is only so much you can do standing around some green felt, holding a stick, and smacking around some balls. There is no management simulation, no on-the-fly formation changes and tactics, no real pop culture icons of the sport. On top of that, pool has that ease of access that American football and the like do not. When you can head down to a local drinking hole, pop a few coins into a table, and play, why does virtual pool need to exist? That’s the question VooFoo Studio attempts to answer with Pure Pool.
And you know what? It’s answered startlingly well. (more…)
EGX 2014 Report: Assassin’s Creed Unity, Arkham Knight, The Order 1886, and More
EGX London, formerly known as the Eurogamer Expo, finally gives UK players a chance to their hand at unreleased games after all the other big Summer shows: E3, PAX Prime, Gamescom, and TGS. It sits at the right time of year too! I always tend to get a bit down on games over the Summer when my consoles sit mostly unused.After playing a dozen of the biggest games scheduled to release over the next nine months, I’m excited to finally charge a DualShock 4 again.On top of that, talking to so many gamers in one place really gives you a nice vertical slice of where the industry sits at the moment. But first… the games! (more…)
Metro Redux Review: A Great Return Journey
Recently, the trend of re-releasing old games as shiny, new PlayStation 4/Xbox One versions has become the standard operating procedure for many video game publishers. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, The Last of Us Remastered, and Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition sit alongside titles like OlliOlli, Hotline Miami, and Escape Plan as games that straddle the console generations. With Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition and Grand Theft Auto V still to come later this year, it’s fair to say it’s not a short-term trend. This time, it’s Deep Silver’s turn to add to this big list of titles. However, give Deep Silver some credit, Metro Redux offers a lot of value with a significant amount of gameplay tweaks and graphical upgrades. (more…)
Here, have 35 minutes of The Witcher 3 from CD Projekt RED
CD Projekt RED, The developer of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, has just released a 35-minute gameplay demo of the highly anticipated game.
The video opens with Geralt riding up to, and then exploring the city of Novigrad, sometime after killing the griffin seen in the E3 gameplay trailer. Afterwards, Geralt sets out to continue on his quest, where we get to see how the fast travel system works. Developers from CD Projekt RED are also on hand to provide commentary on the video’s content.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is set to release across the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One platforms on February 24, 2015.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
WWE 2K14 Review: Yes! Yes! Yes!
I always find it incredibly difficult to write a review for a yearly sports franchise. To innovate and change something that has a real-life counterpart is incredibly hard because, well, the sport just doesn’t change in time for every autumn. Not only do I feel like I’m repeating myself, but it also must be really hard for the developers. Anyway, stop me if you’ve heard this one before… WWE 2K14 is a fantastic pro-wrestling title, probably the best in the Yuke’s-produced series. However, it is held back with bad AI and physics, as well as rough commentary. Yet, it does have the best story mode in a WWE game to date. (more…)
Halo 5: Guardians beta starts in December
As announced by 343 Industries during the Xbox Gamescom Media Briefing, the multiplayer beta for Halo 5: Guardians will begin on December 29 and run for three weeks.
The beta, which is available to buyers of the upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Collection, will focus on 4v4 arena-based fights. All players in the beta will start with the same loadout to “ensure matches are balanced and competitive” and seven maps, three gametypes, and a variety of different armour sets will be included. We’ve also learned that the beta will run at a respectable 60 frames per second.
“It’s celebrating the legacy of competitive gameplay that’s always been at the heart of Halo’s multiplayer,” said Josh Holmes, Executive Producer on Halo 5: Guardians. “Having a beta this early in development is crucial because it gives us as developers the opportunity to react to the feedback we get from fans and take it into account as we complete the multiplayer experience for Halo 5: Guardians”
Halo 5: Guardians will be released sometime next Fall.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2014, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Pre-loading and more new Xbox One system features announced
Both before, and during, their Xbox Media Briefing at Gamescom 2014, Microsoft executives announced a whole host of new features coming soon to the Xbox One.
Firstly, announced during the media briefing itself, the Xbox One Games Store will offer pre-ordering and pre-downloading, which will allow gamers to pay for and download digital copies of games before they release. The first games to feature the pre-loading option will be Forza Horizon 2 and FIFA 15.
But before the show, the Xbox Wire revealed several new features coming to the system, first through the Preview program, and then to the general public. The features are not incredibly groundbreaking, but they either fix some annoying issues or add some niche functionality:
New “Friends” section – The new Friends section has been available for a few early access Preview members and we’re expanding it to everyone enrolled in the Preview program. The new Friends section enables users to see at a glance what’s going on with their friends. They can stay up-to-date with their current activities, the most popular games their friends are playing, and a Gamerscore leaderboard to see who has improved their Gamerscore over the last 30 days.
Snap Center – Some of gamers’ favorite features in the Xbox 360 guide, are coming to Xbox One in a way that’s now truly be side-by-side with games. Messages, friends, parties, and achievements will all be available in the new Snap Center, providing a seamless way to switch back and forth without having to leave a game.
Threaded Messages – Keeping gamers in their games while they multitask has been a huge focus. The new Messages app features threaded messages with the full conversation history – including embedded links to Game DVR clips – that can be viewed without interrupting gameplay.
Media Player – A new app will be available soon that enables users to play media files from either an attached USB device or from a network connected home media server that supports DLNA protocols. The preview version of the Media Player app will initially only support USB devices, with DLNA support coming soon. Xbox One will support more formats than Xbox 360, including support for dozens of new file formats like mpeg 2 TS, animated gifs and mkv which will be added by the end of the year. See below for additional file formKats.
Xbox One Digital TV Tuner – Announced last week, this new accessory will enter a limited preview program in Europe (UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), in advance of its retail launch beginning in October.
Stream TV to SmartGlass – Launching first in markets receiving the Xbox Digital TV Tuner, Xbox One owners will be able to stream their TV across their home network to their smartphones and tablets using the Xbox SmartGlass app. They can also pause, play and rewind as well as change channels, without interrupting gameplay on the Xbox One. This will work for SmartGlass apps on Windows, iOS, and Android.
Boot to TV – Now Xbox One owners will be able to set their console to boot directly to television when coming out of connected standby.
Live TV mini guide – For markets where OneGuide is available, a new mini guide on the bottom of the screen will display details about the TV content that is currently playing. Users can quickly change channels and see what’s on other channels, while still watching TV.
According to Microsoft, these features will be available on your Xbox One in the “coming months”
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged FIFA 15, Forza Horizon 2, Gamescom 2014
Rise of the Tomb Raider is an Xbox One exclusive
Today, during Microsoft’s Gamescom media breifing, a new trailer for Square Enix’s Rise of the Tomb Raider ended with the words “Coming Exclusivly to Xbox.” It was also announced that the game will be released at the end of 2015 – right up next to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
This is huge coup for Microsoft, especially based on how well the 2013 reboot was received by critics and players. Crystal Dynamics needed a partner to push Rise to the next level, and struck a deal with Microsoft to make that happen. With Square Enix not liking the sales of the original so much, a cash injection from Microsoft may have helped insure the game’s development. However, it’s unknown if this deal represents a short-term exclusive window or something more permanent (like with TitanFall). And as an “Xbox Exclusive,” does that mean an Xbox 360 version could be in development? Surely, there must be a PC version in the works, right? Only time will tell for all of these questions.
Darrell Gallagher, Crystal Dynamics Head of Studio, took to the official Tomb Raider Tumblr to discuss the Xbox exclusivity of Rise of the Tomb Raider (which was actually hinted at during its E3 2014 reveal):
This doesn’t mean that we’re walking away from our fans who only play on PlayStation or on PC. Those are great systems, with great partners, and amazing communities. We have Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris coming to those platforms this December, and Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition is available on PS4.
Once again, Rise of the Tomb Raider will be released as an Xbox One exclusive towards the end of next year.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2014, Rise of the Tomb Raider