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Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night E3 Backer Demo Now Available On Steam


Posted on June 29, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Backers awaiting a taste of the upcoming Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night no longer have to wait as the E3 build has found its way onto Steam for those that pledged more than $60 USD during the game’s $5,500.000 USD KickStarter from March 2015.

Scenario Planner and famous game producer Koji Igarashi posted an update on the game’s campaign page outlining the content that backers will find within this beta demo. Featuring 5 unique characters – Miriam, a girl with a body embedded with crystals, the alchemist Johannes, A swordsman by the name of Gebel, An exorcist who has been sent by the church to deal with demons, Zangetsu, a samurai who will bring his blade against the hordes and Alfred, an alchemist who has a past with domonic power. It seems there is a lot on offer here, even if it took a few extra weeks for developers to work out all of the issues.

Koji Igarashi’s statement included the following information:

“Every time I go to E3, I’m reminded that this is the biggest game show in the world. I had a valuable opportunity to meet other developers who I usually don’t get to see.

This year, Bloodstained was exhibited in a closed space at 505 Games. The demo we showcased is actually the Beta Backer Demo that will be available today to all backers at the $60 tier and higher.

You will be able to experience a part of the storyline through these characters.

Regarding the gameplay—we’ve prepared a demo that I can proudly call an action game. Well, I guess that should be obvious… but hey! We also added special commands that were eagerly requested! It’s only a small portion of what’s in the game, but try to find them and see what you think. There are also new enemies and shards introduced in this demo.

In addition to the combat, there is a shop to buy and sell items, and an alchemy room to craft new items, where you can also make food and upgrade shards.”

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will be released later this year for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC. It is being published by 505 Games.

[Source]


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How Death Stranding Subverts a Common Gameplay Mechanic


Posted on December 14, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

There once was an explosion within a trailer that ignited a thousand online debates. There once was an explosion within a trailer that confused the hell out of us. The next explosion is brief details about how Death Stranding will play and how the game subverts a very common gameplay mechanic – death itself. 

In a recent interview with IGN.com Hideo Kojima detailed the place that protagonist Sam visits after the large explosion in the latest trailer for Death Stranding is actually a sort of purgatory.  In this world of beaches and water Sam will explore purgatory in a first-person perspective until it is time for him to return to his body. We don’t know how this dimensional travel is possible (is it the babies?? I bet it’s the babies!) but we do know it is due to a “special ability” that Sam possess. 

Kojima contrasted this mechanic with the arcades of the past, where death was a means to suck another quarter from the player: 

“Games started over 40 years ago with arcades. When the player dies, it’s game over. You continue, and time goes back to before you die. You can die as many times as you want, but you always go back to a little bit before you die. That was a mechanic made specifically for putting in coins, and it hasn’t changed since then.”

Aside from digitized versions of Norman Reedus, Guillermo Del Toro, and Mads Mikkelsen, the spotlight has been fixed on the various babies we’ve seen in each of the three trailers. During the interview with IGN, Hideo Kojima confirmed that the baby that washes up on the shores in trailer 1, the baby held by Del Toro in trailer 2 and the baby pointing finger guns in Reedus’ esophagus are one in the same. We also now know that the babies will tie into the purgatory mechanic somehow.’ 

Still no definitive answers about the mysteries of Death Stranding but certainly now we have a lot more pieces of the puzzles. We know that the game takes place in the near future and that the rapid aging rain and the monsters that attacked the corpse disposal crew are common knowledge. We know a little bit more about the babies. We also know that gameplay will be split between third-person open world action while Sam is alive and that death does not mean “game over” but will affect the overall game world. 

Perhaps we will see actually Death Stranding gameplay at next June’s E3 or perhaps Kojima will make a surprise appearance at GDC 2018, like he did at GDC 2013 to promote The Phantom Pain. Rumor has it that Death Stranding is currently targeting a Q4 2018 release window, so the hype should just keep building. 

Oh and all of our internet theories about the baby being a clone of Sam, Mads being the real protagonist or Del Toro being the game’s villain? Kojima eats that shit up and loves every second of it. 

“I think it’s fun, I really think it’s fun. It’s one of the unique things about games, that you can start having fun with people before you release the game. There are things I intentionally put there so that I can start this back and forth process with players, because I think it’s fun for everyone.” 

[Source]


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After Trying Injustice 2 I Think Scarecrow Is My New Main


Posted on May 11, 2017 by Les Major

Injustice 2 - Scarecrow

During last nights amazing Injustice 2 event at a wonderful venue in Toronto we got to try out some gameplay action! Sure, we only got to try three matches, but I think I’ve found my new fighter. First off, Injustice 2 boasts an impressive roster of at least 32 characters! More characters are even playable through Premiere Skins which changes their voice and appearance, but keeps the play style of a base character.

I enjoyed trying out newcomers Black Canary and Cheetah but Scarecrow really stole my attention when I just started tearing up my opponent without any prior knowledge of how the character plays. Scarecrow has this huge hook on a chain that I was able to just wreck with! After some close up damage, I was able to lash out with that hook, and then combo into spinning the chain overhead in a long range attack! The two of us didn’t know really what to do with our characters so it was a surprise when I pulled off this move and then just seemed to keep going.

It may just be me, but Scarecrow just plays naturally to me. Of course I’m sure you bound around to various characters in the campaign and I’m going to have to learn a lot more, but I know who I’ll be leveling up for fun though.

The game itself looks just incredible! The graphics are beautiful and cinematic, the frame rate flows like butter, and once you know what you’re doing the battles become an impressive display of superhuman prowess. Background items still play a role in this one, allowing you to cause damage with the scenery or bound away from your opponent off various landmarks. Super moves make a return too with impressive visuals and damage as well. Those are moves you pull off by using up your power bar by pulling both triggers and hopefully connecting with your opponent. You’re then treated to a cinematic of your character beating the tar out of your foe.

Injustice 2 is making sure that players keep coming back for more battles with a new gear system. If you’ve spent any time grinding away for loot on Destiny, you’ll probably feel right at home here. Not only can you collect new gear to customize and actually improve the stats of your fighters, but you can even use shaders to customize their look! If the thrill of battle wasn’t enough, there’s now the thrill of rare gear dropping that you can improve your favorite characters with!

We’ll be getting a good look at Injustice 2 next week and have a review on the way shortly after! If you’re still not sure check out the video we just posted with Ajay Fry’s interview Ed Boon last night at the event, or watch the Scarecrow trailer below to see my new fave!


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“Arms” Surprises As One Of The Best Games At Switch Press Event


Posted on January 28, 2017 by Les Major

We’ve all seen the footage from the Nintendo Switch Reveal. Gamers have questioned just what was going to be worthwhile with this new console. Was it going to be the big new thing? Then there’s all that footage of that wacky game “Arms” with various boxing fighters with extendable arms! What in the WORLD is going on?

So today I got to check out the Nintendo Switch at a press event in downtown Toronto. Of course I was skeptical of Arms but I wanted to give it a go. If nothing else to have some video footage of myself flailing around while trying to play the game. Instead, I walked away thinking it was one of the two top games I enjoyed at the event!

No joke! I’m not being paid to say this. This isn’t some sort of ploy, it’s my personal opinion. I enjoyed Arms and it controls surprisingly well with very relaxed motions by the player. You don’t need to swing around wildly, though you can if you like. Otherwise you can play the game calm, cool, and in control of the bout.

First off, holding both the JoyCon controllers separately and attached with wrist straps is very comfortable! They’re incredibly light and comfortable. I think my wife put it best that they clearly seem to be made of plastic or the like, but they almost feel easier on your hands than you’d expect. In Arms you hold the controllers upright with the joysticks facing each other. This leaves your thumbs on top for surprisingly fitting control of the triggers and L/R buttons. These are actually used in the game to control your fighter along with motion controls.

JoyCon Controllers

Across the games I played, I experienced the rumble of these JoyCon controllers. As I’m sure you’ve seen, Nintendo is making a push to encourage gamers to take note of how they feel. I can’t recall if Arms did indeed use them, but I’m pretty sure it did. In general, it does oddly have that feeling of the “ice cubes in a glass” sort of expression that was mentioned in the Nintendo Switch reveal trailer. It’s like there are more rumble points or what not in the controllers. With how light they are too, it makes the feeling more noticeable. The best way I can describe it is different. It’s more of a unique experience.

Arms itself is controlled by leaning the JoyCon’s in the direction you want your fighter to move. You tilt them forward, backward, or to the sides to move. Combining that with jumping by clicking the R button at the top I do believe, and the L button to dash, it gives you a good range of moment. Also by tilting the JoyCon’s at each other you can block. The best part about this is, you feel in control. Wii Boxing was fun, but at times you sort of felt out of rhythm and like you were just flailing and the game was responding to you doing something, but wasn’t always sure what. When you move in Arms, your character moves. Really, I want more games with the controls Arms uses. I could see piloting a mech with the JoyCons like this and I really liked the feeling!

Mechanica I believe was the girl I first played as, which probably helped me get that mecha feel. Punching, much like the movement controls, just feels good! You jab or twist your punch in and your character reacts. Considering your long extendable arms in the game, they sort of track the other character to land each blow, especially across the arena. I’d need more hands on time to see just how you time your punches to beat down your opponent, but things got pretty neat. At times I missed, others my punches arced around and landed right on! I don’t blame the controls for this, I blame getting used to playing the game. However, I had some pretty sweet moments. One stage I was moving to position a pillar between my fighter and their opponent. Then from there I was arcing punches AROUND that pillar to still smack at them! Of course to keep things fair after a few volleys of punches, the pillar collapsed.

Arms Mechanica

But wait, there’s more! Punching with both fists at the same time performs a grab move on your opponent. If not blocked, you pull them in and deliver a devastating wallop! A barrage of punches that land is probably just as effective, and the game does show damage numbers to indicate just how much you’re hurting your foe. However, with a grab you get in all that damage all at once if they don’t move out of your way and just let your gangly arms miss them. On top of all that you can build up a super move and unleash that with the triggers held at the same time. During this phase you can unleash a barrage of devastating punches in a row as fast as you can. Your opponent has super moves as well, so you’ll need to learn to dodge out of the way of their attacks.

Of course everyone at the event was there to make sure we had fun and the staff gave us lots of encouragement as we played our games. By the time I was making my rounds it was late in the day and everyone was pretty tired out. When I made it to the Arms display, the attendant that we got set up with was happy to show me how the game worked but was quite thrilled when we got into it. Sure, everyone wants to try out the games and just get a taste of it. It was near the end and no one was lining up so I got right into Arms. By the end our attendant was cheering me on as as struggled against Master Mummy who seemed to have two hands that almost resembled Bullet Bill’s for fists! As I tracked around the arena and managed to put some distance between us with those pillars I mentioned earlier, we were down to landing just one hit to win. My right hook went wide! Out in the open I was concerned this was game over. Then he faltered just for a moment and my left jab won the match!

Arms Mummy

It really was satisfying. Both the quality of the game and controls, as well as genuinely seeing our attendant getting so into the game. Our experience with Arms showed me there is more to it than flailing your arms madly at the TV. Instead you really are able to come up with some plan of attack and make your fighting style your own. Want to hop in the air constantly and pummel your opponent from above? Go for it. Is staying distant so you can time their punches and scoot to the side to avoid getting hit while landing well placed jabs? You can do that too! Want to just click dash and run in, punching like mad while hoping for a good outcome? Do that too! The game really is more than just Wii Boxing for the Switch with extendable arms. Let along the charm of the characters really drew me in. I knew nothing of the robot suit piloting Mechanica but I adored her.

The big take away from all this is that I want Arms. I want to own the game. It’s a game I would play and enjoy. Sure, I don’t know much about it yet and haven’t even begun to research the title, but I enjoy the gameplay! Playing Arms on the Switch feels good, and I want to experience that again. Sure, I want games like Zelda that I can plunk my butt down on the couch and explore hours upon hours of shrines throughout Hyrule. I also want to just get into Arms and do those over exaggerated movements that aren’t needed but just feel so good because the game reacts so well to my motions. It’s cool to see the evolution of motion controls, the comfort of the Nintendo Switch JoyCons, and most of all another new IP from Nintendo that I genuinely want to play!

Arms Fighters

Nintendo gave me a ton of options today to play anything I wanted. I’m glad I decided to give that silly stretchy arms title a chance. It made a lasting impression and showed off the Nintendo Switch very well!


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First 11 – Check Out Our Torn Tales Gameplay Footage


Posted on January 19, 2017 by Les Major

Torn Tales First 11

Today, I’m starting a new YouTube series to show off some of the PC titles we tackle. Each video will focus on the first eleven minutes of gameplay. Odds are though if I don’t keep track of time again, there will be tons of additional content as well. This first episode takes a look at Torn Tales, a sort of diablo-esque title that tasks gamers to play as Snow White, Robin Hood, and Dr. Jekyll in a party together.

Yes, I know the music audio and my dialogue are unfortunately at the same level. I’ll have to be sure to correct that in future videos. Or even record a separate dialogue track. Either way, things will improve for future content and I’ll get them as fun and clear as our Twitch streams many of you have been enjoying already.

Our trek with Torn Tales took these three fabled fighters through a forest in this intro area. It sounds like you possibly can find treasure chests along the way, but the only ones I nabbed came from a boss and a group of enemies. There are branching paths though and boy do you need to explore them! I recorded much more than the first eleven minutes, which I’ll be sharing as well, so you’ll get to see me progress along, give up on exploration (and extra XP) only to be in a really tough battle against the second boss of the game which I needed just a touch more power to get through.

That may sound rough, but the developer is listening on the Steam discussion board it seems and updates have been forthcoming. If nothing else, I’d look at Torn Tales as a game you can play all the way through, but it’s sort of like an early access game since changes are on the way. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a good title here I found, and if I could have just DPS’d the Big Bad Wolf a bit more, I’d have beat him on a couple occasions.

Anyway, give it a look at take a gander at the first eleven minutes, of Torn Tales.


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PS4 Pro Enhanced Announced, 4K Videos Available


Posted on September 12, 2016 by Ellen McGrody

Horizon: Zero Dawn on PS4 Pro

PS4 Pro Enhanced

Following last week’s PlayStation Meeting, Sony announced more details about the PS4 Pro. In addition to adding 4k game videos to their YouTube channel, Sony confirmed details concerning PS4 Pro Enhanced. Acting as a new labeling system for game releases, the new logo implies a game uses some or all of the features of the new console.

As discussed last week, the Pro offers graphical enhancements to existing and upcoming PS4 titles. Enhanced will mean that a game takes advantage of any combination of these tweaks. A Pro Enhanced game will offer 4K resolution, HDR capabilities, and/or higher frame-rates. Older titles can offer software updates with these features. Newer games will come with this label on packaging or on PlayStation Store pages.

Because of Polygon‘s reporting, we know developers won’t be able to charge for Enhanced upgrades to older titles. In addition, as Enhanced can entail HDR lighting, users of the original PS4 and the new Slim model will benefit as well.

Gameplay videos are available from Horizon: Zero Dawn, Mass Effect Andromeda, and more. You can view every 4K PS4 Pro video on Sony’s playlist. Note that you’ll need Chrome in order to view 4K YouTube videos on your computer.


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Do A Barrel Roll With These Two Star Fox Zero Gameplay Videos


Posted on April 28, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Star Fox Zero

Earlier in the week, after all of the PAX East madness had subsided, my wife & I decided to do a co-op stream of Star Fox Zero. This take on the Star Fox series, the first console release since 2005, brings with it a unique control scheme that has players looking at the Wii U game pad and television screen simultaneously.

Our full review is still incoming, but for now I hope you’ll enjoy these two videos covering the game’s tutorial section and first real missions. In this co-op setup my wife controlled the Arwing’s movements with a Wii Remote and I used the Wii U game pad to control the artillery.

CAN’T LET YOU DO THAT, STAR FOX!

[youtube id=”iAK6nYuSa-k”]

[youtube id=”EjCrtb4kGs0″]


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First Gameplay Footage of Yakuza 6 Released


Posted on December 12, 2015 by Broken Joysticks

Yakuza 6

Yakuza 6 has just had it’s very first gameplay footage revealed. Check it out below.

[youtube id=sw6Oe1l51pQ]

Yakuza is just one of those franchises I never got into, with me only owning a PS3 for about a year before it broke. Still, what people tell me about it sounds kind of neat. There’s very little to be said about the footage, since it’s mostly just fighting animations, but it looks pretty crisp. Apparently the Yakuza are also professional wrestlers, judging from the way they fight. I look forward to dispensing The People’s Elbow to gangsters across Tokyo. Yakuza 6 is hitting the PS4 as an exclusive sometime in 2016.


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New Unannounced Star Wars: Battlefront Modes Surface Ahead of Open Beta


Posted on October 5, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

It looks like several YouTubers and press outlets already have access to the previously announced open beta for Star Wars: Battlefront as gameplay details and videos are starting to trickle out.

The folks over at IGN.com noticed that the beta includes 4 previously unannounced game modes which of course are not selectable during this stress test. They are as follows: \

  • Supremacy
  • Blast
  • Cargo
  • Droid Run

No other details about these modes is available at this time. The open beta for Star Wars: Battlefront is expected to launch to the general public on Thursday October 8th and last until the 12th. Included in the beta are the Walker Assault on Hoth, Drop Zone on Sullust and Survival Mission on Tatooine modes.

YouTuber Tejbz posted a six minute video of sniper game-play from the beta which I’ve embedded below.

[youtube id=”oPwly2dtLvg”]


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Final Fantasy XV TGS Trailer Showcases Chocobos


Posted on September 19, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

During their Final Fantasy XV reveal for this year’s Tokyo Games Show Square Enix has released a brand new 5 minute game-play segment for their upcoming RPG. This latest slice of game-play showcases Noctus and crew stepping out of their car to spend some time with everyone’s favorite yellow birds, the chocobos.  Near the end of the trailer a brand new fishing minigame is also showcased.

Square Enix’s official Youtube channel offers this description of the trailer:

In gameplay footage revealed at TGS 2015, Noctis and his crew explore a new area on the backs of chocobos, showing off some of the ways the classic series mount can move in FINAL FANTASY XV. The party then dismounts and heads to a pier for some fishing, a new mini-game players can explore. The fish you can catch can even be taken back to camp and cooked!

[youtube id=”4zqxNNkSPa0″]


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Bethesda Releases Brief Doom Teaser Trailer


Posted on May 18, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Bethesda Game Studios in collaboration with id Software have released a very brief 15 second gameplay trailer to promote their upcoming Doom reboot. The trailer promises that we will get more information at Bethesda’s E3 Press conference on June 14th.

Gameplay for Doom was first shown to the public at last year’s QuakeCon but the publisher did not allow anyone to record what was shown. According to reports the game goes back to its early 90s FPS roots complete with strafing, jetpacks and of course the awesomely overpowered B.F.G 9000. Apparently the developers have also incorporated finishing moves into some enemy encounters. The player is able to eviscerate their opponent by ripping off their jaw, tearing out their heart and other gruesome fatalities.

No release date for Doom has been given but considering it is getting a large presence at Bethesda’s E3 press conference a late 2015 / early 2016release date isn’t out of the question. Doom will be available on Windows PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

[youtube id=”bdAZqeDtlL4″]


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Explore Nearly Fifteen Minutes of Uncharted 4 Gameplay Footage


Posted on December 6, 2014 by Rae Michelle Richards

During Sony’s PlayStation Experience keynote presentation Naughty Dog showed off the first gameplay demo for Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End. In this demo we see Nathan Drake climb and sneak his way through a lush jungle island. There are quite a few awesome mechanics at play – I’m not sure if they are scripted or contextual but they still impress – like when Drake uses a rope to swing across a gap and knock out an enemy right before grabbing the guys gun while in mid swing.

We know this demonstration was played in real-time on Sony’s stage because at one point the person playing fell through the game world! If you can stomach a groaning one liner or sarcastic remark approximately every minute I highly recommend checking out this trailer.

A Thief’s End is still early in development. We don’t have a solid release date yet for this PlayStation 4 exclusive but I’m sure we will see more of Nathan Drake at next year’s E3.

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Metal Gear Solid V: Online Features Mechs & Adorable Puppies!


Posted on December 6, 2014 by Rae Michelle Richards

Konami unveiled the first trailer for Metal Gear Solid V: Online last night during the Video Game Awards. This first glimpse at online componet of the Phantom Pain comes with the tagline – “Tactical Team Operations”.

In the trailer we see several glimpses of new gameplay mechanics such as one player taking on the role of Big Boss (similar to how MGS 4 online had game modes were one player played as Naked Snake) while other players battle it out. Other note worthy additions include an adorable puppy replacing the porn magazines and a mechanized single occupant walker that Snake uses to wreak havoc.

Make sure you watch until the end because there’s a pretty awesome cameo from a character we haven’t heard much about in terms of their inclusion in The Phantom PainMGS V: The Phantom Pain is expected to be release sometime before the summer of 2015 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.Read More


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Take A Trip To Gotham In This New Arkham Knight Gameplay Vid


Posted on November 25, 2014 by Rae Michelle Richards

Out of the shadows comes a brand new gameplay video for Batman: Arkham Knight from Warner Bros Interactive. This video gives you a great look at the game’s combat as well as how the Batmobile will be useable during missions! In part one of this three part walkthrough series Batman has to enter Ace chemicals and take down the Arkham Knight’s henchmen as well as rescue Ace workers who are being held hostage.

If I am not mistaken… Batman may have killed a dude at the 1:07 mark, I mean shoving someone’s head into a panel full of live electrical wires doesn’t exactly sound survivable.

Regardless, part two will be released on the Arkham Knight facebook page with the final video premiering during the PlayStation Experience Keynote on December 6th.

Batman Arkham Knight will be released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on June 2nd 2015. Check out the full video after the jump.

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