Tag Archives: gameplay

Infamous: First Light Review

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Here’s a mind meld question for you. How can you give people the taste of a game without them paying the full price or giving them a game so small it’s a demo. By making it a DLC which is also a standalone game of course. That’s the case for First Light, in which you play as Abigail “Fetch” Walker, a character you met in ‘inFamous: Second Son’ on the PS4. Being an extension of a standalone title means that you don’t have to own the full game to enjoy this and what’s more, Sony Computer Entertainment have priced this right (around a tenner on PSN and soon to be £15 on physical retail mid-September) and packed in just enough of a game to prolong the interest of players of ‘Second Son’ as well as draw in new attention from those who perhaps weren’t too impressed by inFamous’ and were holding out for other titles that would really push their consoles.To be honest it’s a win-win for players. The PS4 lacks original titles and the summer break is traditionally a hiatus for games releases, therefore, games players are under-nourished right now and can expect to be until the likes of Destiny, Alien and other big titles hit the shelves towards the Christmas holiday season. Equally, Sony owes it to the players who forked out on their console and are also gambling that this will draw players to back to their title inFamous: Second Son. It’s a gamble that pays off.

Set two years prior to the events of Second Son, First Light follows Abigail “Fetch” Walker a homeless, ex-heroin addict and her brother Brent through a story of deceit, revenge and all out destruction. When we first meet them Brent wants to do one last robbery so they can afford a better new life. The pair has been sleeping rough; Fetch keeping her powers hidden so as not to attract attention from the authorities. From there it doesn’t take long for things to go pear-shaped in a big way and it takes no time at all before you are unleashing your neon abilities all over the shop, running at super speed, collecting power-ups and taking down enemies with bolts of electricity.

First Light may seem limiting to some because Fetch only has a single power, whereas in infamous: Second Son Delsin ended up with a handful. However, where using Delsin you didn’t always get a chance to appreciate and embrace his powers because the game forced you to switch between them, Fetch identifies by her neon abilities, so you have to learn the different skills and learn them well. This plays into both the story and the combat.

As is accustomed to ‘sandbox’ games there are a small handful of optional activities. Fetch can blast graffiti onto marked walls, though she does so in glowing neon lines. There are races against glowing balls of light called Lumens. There are also drive-by shootings and civilian hostage situations to manage. All which help you to earn Skill Points, which are then traded to evolve Fetch’s neon powers further.

The writing and voice acting are, for the most part well executed. Abigail is a highly likable heroine so whilst you don’t have those critical moral choices as in Infamous: Second Son and there are no light and dark abilities to gain you still want to gain more powers and see her story through. There are also some harrowing elements of the storyline such as monitoring CCTV in order to take down a sex trafficking ring (you see the women followed and then kidnapped) and moments where Abigail talks about her addiction (Abigail is at best in her teens).

It’s hard to make any real criticisms of this game because this is, after all, just DLC presented as a standalone game. In comparison to Second Son it’s inherited all of its strengths for example the beautiful city, the amazing lighting, the fun combat, the feeling of being a superhero. However these are contrasted against it weaknesses, the fact that it is never really populated and you never feel a part of this world.

That said, the price tag and the content make this a worthy purchase; it easily ranks above most other standalone games on PSN within its price range and there is enough there in terms of online leader-boards and side missions to keep coming back if even for a short while.

8 / 10

Infamous: First Light is out now on PSN and available on Retail Edition from mid-september

SSX Game Review

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If gamers are completely honest with themselves Extreme Sports games have been severely lacking in this generation of consoles. Yes, the XBOX has had the…erm, Motion Sports titles but come on, really now, all you have had to do is essentially strike a pose and look surprisingly un-cool. If we are completely honest, gone is the insane rush of pulling off trick after trick; gone is the feeling of utter wow whilst your mates go ‘did you really just do that?’ SSX Tricky on the PS2 was the last game to do that me, and not even being able to download it from the PSN store was going to make me feel that way again – until now.

SSX has exploded back on the scene in such a way that many of its competitors will just probably want to turn away from the starting line and hang their heads in shame. Such is the wealth of options, such is the banging-ness of the tracks, such is the literally obscene nature of the tricks, such is the colour and richness of the graphical nature, such is the sheer speed of the game and finally such is the seamless incorporation of all what games developers EA have learnt so far with their other titles such as Need for Speed and its Auto log that many other games just wouldn’t stand a chance.

EA Canada decided to show the world what happens when you don’t just put the game out every year, but instead put your heart and soul into it and take time crafting it, polishing it and the result is an  ultimate experience.

I’ll forget the storyline (is there ever a storyline?) and break this game down to you in the simplest of terms. You will go down mountains – admittedly fantastically rendered mountains. You will have an articulated lorry of tricks at your disposal and these tricks accumulate points which can be traded for speed. Like Need for Speed there are a range of different events – here classified as either “Race It,” in which you have to speed down the slopes against competitors, “Trick It,” in which you need to pull off tricks and outscore the competition, or “Survive It,” which is the final region challenge pitting you against one of the elements.

While there are only three basic modes, there’s a good mix of racers and racing conditions to keep things exciting. You will attempt to conquer slopes all over the world, be that in china or even the Andes.  Each location is interesting and each race has a lot going on.

“Survive it” is the real new addition to the series. Borrowing a lot from Motorstorm Apocalypse you take on the elements  for example thunderous avalanches will try to swallow you up, freezing cold temperatures and lack of oxygen will attempt to suck the life from you, jagged rocks and trees will threaten to turn your bones into mash potato. The skill level is graduated so you get a bit of equipment, like a headlamp, a wing suit or sonar goggles, and you can conquer the very different problems you face on the mountain in each location: the wing suit will help you cross substantial gaps, sonar goggles can help you find a path in whiteout conditions and the headlamp will illuminate even the darkest of caverns.

Control wise this game is quite good; making use of the analogue sticks as well as L and R buttons too to create smooth transitions between tricks. What I thought was really nice is that there is a classic button selection too. So if you were used to the old button setup of the last generation you can select it and pull of moves via the button mashing system of old. You also have a rewind button so if you wipe-out you can go back in time and alter your fate so to speak – although this does cost you points.

Whereas Need for Speed had Auto Log, SSX has Rider Net. It keeps track of your progress. Rider Net alerts you about what your friends are doing. Any scores posted or collectibles acquired pop up, and the game sets challenges for you based on your friend’s scores.

Multiplayer in SSX comes in the form of Global Events, a constantly updating series of challenges open to everyone in the world. EA has challenges going all the time and you can just drop in and try and post a high score or fast time.

As you’re racing through a course, other players doing the same will just show up alongside you in a crazy simultaneous event. For some, it may seem loopy but there is no denying that it keeps the edge and playability of the title top notch. Besides, what else can you do with a snowboard?

My Verdict?

SSX may not be a title for everyone but it is a title that has been long overdue in a genre that sorely needed it. If snowboarding is your thing, if racing games have been getting boring for you or you just want to try something fun, fresh and funky do check out SSX – it’s incredible.

9.2/10

Gamefest 2011 Review

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It has been aptly described as the ‘Gaming Event of The Year’, ‘A gaming extravaganza’ by others and a ‘Shame if you failed to get a ticket mate’ by the people online. I am of course talking about GAMEfest; the first-ever gaming festival from high street and online computer game retailers GAME. If you are into games – and you weren’t watching Chelsea lose – there is only one big question: where were you?

The things I have to do to keep Frost readers happy is beyond belief, but I’ll let you know I aptly ‘stayed calm and carried on’ to take one for the team with my sole intention of bringing you the ‘no nonsense’ report of gaming goodness. The saying goes take five a day – well when it comes to games I’ll happily take 50; heck, make mine 100 if that’s what it takes.

Let’s talk numbers:
100+ Big games on show
70+ Big games available for test
3+ hours taken to queue at longest point during the day for the biggest game showcases
1,500 screens displaying the latest games
1,000’s of games players from all over the world
3 girls from Nuts Magazine – well I wouldn’t be a man if I didn’t mention them would I? More on them later…

Lets talk games:
Tons of exclusives, we are talking Street Fighter X Tekken, Ridge Racer Unbounded, Batman Arkham City, Sonic Generations, Modern Warfare 3, Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi, to name just a few. There is loads to get through, the way I see it, it is a good job that Frost Magazine is web as opposed to paper based as the environment is saved by the sheer numbers of trees no longer needed to be cut down to bring you this report. But hey, let’s talk shop because here, in this report I want to focus on the real games that are going to make a real impact this year. The ones that you need to get on your pre-order list pretty sharpish, capiche.

Modern Warfare 3.
Obviously the first stand I headed to was this one under the mighty games developers Activison. Thanks to GAMEfest I got my sweaty hands on the first playable build of the mode in the UK. Yes it really is that good; Modern Warfare 3 by its looks alone raises the bar of a genre already inundated with shooters and looking quite tired. But how does it play? One word: incredible, with the noise of the exhibition it was really hard to hear all the instructions my character was being told but the controls were fine, the graphics even at this stage were ‘baby soft’ smooth. My only gripe is that there is no 3D version planned and after playing Resistance 3 in 3D I just know it would be incredible. Release date is scheduled for the 8th Nov. Seven words spring to mind: Do Not Miss Out On This Game.

Goldeneye 007: Reloaded
Goldeneye looks better than ever thanks to the upgraded power afforded by the PS3 and it goes without saying that it looks better than its Wii counterpart. Although it has to be said although it looks great, MW3 it is not. Nevertheless it ranks up there as a Bond game to own with enemies appearing extremely agile behind cover. I managed to play this with the Move Controller and although it took some getting used to it worked incredibly well.
Release date is scheduled for Nov

Battlefield 3
This is the year’s ‘other’ most anticipated shooter and of course you know it will be going head to head with Modern Warfare 3. Not sure if it is me but this is turning into a regular duel between Activision and EA over who runs the block. I tried the single player campaign and was quite taken aback by the quality of the graphics; smoke and explosions now being even more realistic. Again the movement was silky smooth whereas the controls needed just that little bit more work. So who runs the block? Well, personally, I am a fan of the Call of Duty franchise but this game is enough to make me hedge my bets. As good old Optimus Prime says ‘One shall stand….and one shall fall…’

X-Men: Destiny
X-Men: Destiny sees you step into the shoes of a newly realized young mutant who is tasked with using their special powers for good or evil? Sounds familiar? Yep I thought so too. I am a huge X-Men fanatic so was hoping this game would be incredible, however to me, graphically it looks on par with the first Infamous game and some of the camera angles looked decidedly dodgy. This was my least liked of the titles from the Activision stand, although I could still easily be proved wrong when it is released on the 30th September this year.

Spiderman: Edge of time
The all new Spiderman game was on show looking very tasty indeed. It looks like there is more time hopping around than the last game, and of the in game footage we were shown it looked like not only was Spidey much more fluid and agile but that there was a solid emphasis on action and combos. It’s enough to bring a smile to anyone’s lips.

Street Fighter X Tekken
This is really squaring up to be one heck of a game. Thank you so much Game for giving us players a direct hands on with more than a handful of characters on each side. The characters of Tekken step into the world of Street Fighter for a fight time spectacular. No wonder the queues went on, this game really has to be seen to be believed, with an overhauled control system that’s easy for fans of the Tekken games to pick up quickly and combos, tag combos and more combos than a KFC bargain bucket this is turning into a ‘must have game’. The backgrounds too are worth a mention; there is one with dinosaurs that looks totally incredible. But what’s that little birdy? There is going to be another game some point later where the characters of Street Fighter step into the world of Tekken? Wow, we better keep that one under our hat….

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi
Looked pretty incredible, I heard repeated murmurings of gamers going ‘wow’ ‘amazing’ and ‘oh my gosh’ so I went over and pretty soon I was saying the same thing too. Bosses the size that even a 50 inch screen can’t handle and an overhauled control system, all of which takes a little bit of time to get used to but soon had me pulling off 50 hit combos with ease. I liked the look of the sprites, everything just looks spruced up and ‘combat ready’ as they say.

Soulcalibur V
Have you ever picked up sequel hoping that the games developers haven’t taken something out that you really enjoyed? Well if you are, you are a lot like me; the last game I played from this series was Soul Edge, the last Soulcalibur game I heard was cack so I left it alone as that is what you are supposed to do with smelly fish. However this game brought back all the memories and finesse of the original. It looks great, it sounds great. It is easy to pick up and play, but just one question: how many fabled blades are there?

Ridge Racer Unbounded
Is yet another entry into an almost legendary franchise playing like an explosive mix between Burnout and Split-Second. It looks as good as it plays and that is heart in the mouth, pedal to the metal tricky. You build energy by driving dangerously, drifting and overtaking in order to ram cars, destroy buildings and generally just create chaos on the track. Oh yeah and don’t forget to come first – wouldn’t be Ridge Racer if you didn’t have that. The driving controls need tightening up a bit but I actually enjoyed playing this game but and can’t wait to see how it will pan out later.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
This was next on my list. I am an avid fan of the franchise and been playing it since the PS One days but if I am honest I think towards the end it went off the rails a bit and got all dramatized. I had heard that the game had been completely overhauled and gone ‘back to the basics’ which can only be a good thing. Immediately from grabbing the control pad I could see the graphics and the control system had been completely revamped; a choice of controlling a plane or helicopter was the first decision I had to make and then in no time at all planes, bullets and explosions met me during an epic duel in the skies; dodging between huge buildings standing out against the horizon. However, I don’t know if it is just me but I found that despite these improvements essentially you are still just lining up your shots as before. Let’s hope it does not get repetitive as its predecessors did.

Ace Combat 3DS
This looked absolutely fantastic; the 3DS taking full advantage of the analogue sticks and whole 3D thing. Bullets, guns and explosions; now you can enjoy them on the bus, the train, on the way to work, you get the picture.

Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda was my personal saviours on the day, providing myself and my nephews with some super sized bags to put our accumulated goodies in. I have to be honest; I have heard of Prey and seen Rage but I had not heard of Skyrim before. Entering their Walkthrough after an hour or so of queuing I could see what the fuss was all about. All three titles looked astoundingly good. RAGE looks like a no holds barred FPS genre with solid action.  

SKYRIM  though was the real surprise for me; swords, wizards, trolls, magic, you get the picture, but what really surprised me was the quality of the graphics and the idea that the game develops around you as you play, sort of like World of Warcraft but with extra 3rd person perspective mmm. I will be keeping my beady little eyes on this one.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
This is one of the titles that my nephew really wanted to play and even now a day later he is still going on about it. Thanks to the Wii Motion Plus Controller you take full control over Link’s sword swipes on a one-to-one basis, taking on the enemies. It looks fabulous with a real nice graphical style to it that sets it apart from its predecessors and the boss fight I saw was pretty ridiculous in terms of combos and big moves. Wii owners have a good reason to rejoice.

Saints Row: The Third
This game looked like it was shaping up very nicely indeed, colourful solid sprites with a kind of tongue in cheek storyline being at the core. The fight and combo moves feel quite satisfying. Apparently Hulk Hogan and a certain porn actress are playable characters in the game. That certainly brought a smile to my nephew’s face.

Need for Speed: The Run
Only got to see videos of this owing to the time – it was such a shame. From what I saw the game has few on foot sections, and those it does have seem to serve to push the story forward as opposed to being a part of the race itself. One thing I did see was a kind of ‘rewind’ feature that rewinds time back to just before a crash giving you time to avoid it. Use of this is incredibly limited and is quite exciting when you think of it especially if it transfers to online play. Speed was on par with the fastest Burnout and the cops were unrelenting.

The Black Eyed Peas Experience
Hot on the heels of the Michael Jackson Experience comes this title. Opting to feature digitized sprites instead of stand-ins, this can have you dancing and singing as a group or as any one of your favourite lead singers or their entourage. Now, There is no denying that the Black Eyed Peas aren’t spectacular but are they on the same level as the king of pop? I am not so sure – whats next? The N-Dubz Experience. Anyhow it has to be said the game does look good and it was fun to play – lets just hope we are not seeing the dawn of another dancing, singing, play the guitar type franchise take over the world only to crash and burn and leave players angry.

SEGA
SEGA have been in the computer game business for almost three generations now, wisely backing out of the console making business to focus on games. It looked like they had brought their gaming offices with them showing off some of their biggest titles to date. First up – Mario and Sonic at the London Olympic Games on Wii and 3DS – good solid game filled with cutesy Wii’ness that tough guys like me stay away from…o.k I can explain about the photo….

Next up Rise of Nightmares for the Xbox Kinect only, and it has to be said that it is not a bad first attempt at a survival horror title for the Kinect. Rise of Nightmares begins a bit like a SAW movie with a bad guy who just likes doing bad things to people for fun. Waking up on a moving train you have an argument with your for girlfriend for being buried in the bottle, she storms off and then the dreaded monsters attack killing almost everybody. Using the Kinect controls is a bit of a hit and miss in my opinion and take some getting used to, but if you think of melee combat similar to Dead Island you are not far wrong. Although the premise is good time will tell whether the actual gameplay will be improved enough before the release.

Next up House of the Dead Overkill on the PS3 and thankfully this is a whole new state of affairs. Compatible with Playstation Move and in 3D with effects that I have got to say jump out of the screen like your heart jumps out of your mouth, this ‘on the rails shooter’ should be on your pre-order list pronto.

Sonic Generations on Xbox 360, PS3 and 3DS was a crowd pleaser, namely because it seemed to offer something for SEGA fans in the way of nostalgia that only the Megadrive collection with all your favourite hits missing could possibly do. You have a choice of both types of Sonic, new – with 3D run into the screen gameplay and old – sideways stages. Both types offered new stages, blistering speeds, familiar faces and lets not forget his go-go I can do anything attitude which is really hard not to fall in love with. My nephew was undecided on this title, however I enjoyed it immensely.

Warner
Popping over to the Warner stand the first thing I saw was a huge Batman statue – yes this was Arkham City territory and the crowds here was unbelievable. The game hosts had good sense to have the games on a timer with players on a roll on roll off queue to prevent any game hogs and it is easy to see why people would not want to give up their joypad. The quality of this title is simply incredible. The way Batman moves, the new detective mode, the combat system, the epic vistas; everything just looks bigger, better, badder and downright tastier. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait.

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North took me by surprise – where did this game come from? The monsters are simply huge and although RPG in nature in reality the gameplay seemed a lot like Baldur’s Gate with slo-mo finishers and non stop combat. A video showed some flying sections too with the character on the back of an eagle. Could be well worth a look on its release.

And, so ended the first-ever fantastic gaming festival. But the show would not be complete without making the most of every opportunity and funny enough big boy’s magazine Nuts were on hand to show that games festivals can be fun in every way. Arm firmly twisted firmly behind my back I was frog-marched over to the table to have my Nuts Magazine signed by the lovely Stacy, Daisy and India and oh look someone took a photograph. The things I have to do eh?