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Wednesday, May 27, 2015
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is just around the corner, and there’s always a great deal of hype and zeitgeist generated by the teased, shown and playable games. It’s one of those times where it’s easy to get kind of swept up in the moment, losing sight of the fact that you are being messaged the whole time. Developers and publishers want you to think of their game above all others, and they also want to show you their games in a very favourable light. This can lead to hyperbole during the show and then a crashing reality once the game actually ships (or is delayed). It doesn’t mean games at E3 won’t end up being great games. On the contrary, many games at E3 will end up delivering the goods. But we all have to understand that E3 is a big marketing machine, first and foremost.
Read More - E3 and the Hype Train
Thursday, May 21, 2015
10:44 AM - May 21, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
I really miss Super Spike V’ball. There was something that just really clicked with the four-player action offered by that game all the way back on the NES (and in arcades). The simplicity of the gameplay leant itself perfectly to couch co-op, but there was a layer of strategy that enabled players to get really good at blocking, spiking and misdirecting. The unique characteristics of each team also added some strategy, as the various attributes required players to emphasize strengths while concealing weaknesses.
Enter Gunsport, a futuristic retro game that looks to scratch a similar itch with its two-to-four-player action.
Read More - Volleyball and Guns Collide in Gunsport
Monday, May 11, 2015
10:51 AM - May 11, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
With E3 on the horizon, we’re likely going to hear a lot more about all of the usual suspects in the sports genre. One of the outliers to this standard cycle is the EA Sports UFC franchise, as EA has admitted that the game won’t have a standard annualized release schedule. This has become obvious by the fact that June is nearly here and we know nothing about the next game in the franchise. Random message board posts and tweets from the dev team have confirmed that development is underway on the next game (EA Sports UFC 2? EA Sports UFC 2016?), but it’s hard to say when we’ll hear more about it.
Read More - EA Sports UFC: Five Things The Sequel Needs to Include
Thursday, May 7, 2015
11:15 AM - May 7, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
While we wrote extensively about NHL 15 (Xbox One, PS4) before, during and after launch, it's meaningful to look back at where the game stands in the series, especially in the context of other peers in the genre. As disappointing as the game was for those who were wanting a complete next-gen hockey experience, it managed to soldier on, selling relatively well and maintaining some level of community through several patches. None of those things fixed the overall incomplete nature of that product, but it started the baby steps towards a better future for the series.
Read More - NHL 15: The Legacy of the Failed to Launch Title
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
10:41 AM - May 6, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
Mobile games are sort of hard to get a handle on sometimes, as they usually offer an experience that’s filled with caveats and qualifiers. EA Sports UFC for mobile is just such a game, as it features some decent presentation and surprisingly tactical combat, but a lot of it is mixed in with in-app purchases, grind-heavy ladders, boosts and slow drip-feeds of in-game currency. If you’re able to push away the business aspect of this game from your mind, it’s kind of a decent time-waster for a few hours.
Read More - EA Sports UFC Mobile Review (iOS/Android)
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
10:38 AM - April 22, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
When there’s a sign during one of the matches in this showcase that says “Load the Spaceship with the Rocket Fuel,” you know the folks at 2K had their heart in the right place when putting together the latest content for WWE 2K15. I kind of figured that this DLC showcase was shaping up to be the best of the three, and that’s certainly the case. While it still suffers from some gameplay quirks and a short playtime (around two hours), it’s got some fun matches that are filled with entertaining historical spots. If you were around during this era of wrestling — or if you appreciate the cartoon wackiness that it brought — then you’ll have a good time with the “Path of the Warrior” DLC.
Read More - WWE 2K15: Path of the Warrior DLC Review
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
08:13 PM - April 15, 2015. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Glenn Wigmore
EA Sports has published their NHL 15 playoff simulation for the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not surprisingly, the projected winner is Anaheim, which is a sensible pick for anyone, especially considering the team's beastly offensive capabilities. These simulations are always fun, even though there's nothing really scientific about them. It's certainly interesting to set up all the rosters, rules and sliders in such a way that simulates actual playoff stats and outcomes, but of course, the playoffs are always wildly unpredictable, particularly in the first round.
Make sure you read Glenn Wigmore's take and post your picks and thoughts on the sim from EA.
Read More - EA Sports NHL Playoff Simulation Thoughts (Written by Glenn Wigmore)
Saturday, April 11, 2015
11:59 AM - April 11, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
MLB 15 The Show’s directional hitting has taken me back to MVP ’05, where moving the left stick in a direction would attempt to influence the ball to go that way. It’s a system that’s pretty confusing if you’re locked into zone hitting, but once you wrap your head around it, it can be very useful in key situations. The fact that your swing will revert back to a timing-based version if you don’t pick a direction, complete with hitting stats based on each player, means you still have a viable way of making contact if a particular at-bat isn’t going your way.
Read More - MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
01:08 AM - April 8, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
I’ve always enjoyed standalone experiences that are able to compress a larger game into a bite-sized concept. A lot of sports products aren’t really able to do this because of their scale, but racing is a genre that lends itself well to this conceit. With Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious, the developers at Playground Games (and Turn 10) have managed to create a satisfying appetizer for their main games. It actually manages to serve all interested parties, as existing players get more content to dig into, new players get a taste of the Forza world, the developers get to entice you to buy the full game, and the producers of the Fast & Furious movies get a decent advertising mechanism. This game is free until April 10, 2015, but even at the after price of $10, it’s worth your time. The biggest strength of this is that you don’t need to own any Forza products in order to participate.
Read More - Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious Review
Saturday, April 4, 2015
05:04 PM - April 4, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
Read More - MLB 15 The Show: The Radio Show is a Solid Start
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
12:00 PM - March 24, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
There are three big ideas that are getting traction this year, including a modified overtime format to reduce shootouts, a challenge system for controversial plays and a revamp of the all-star game to provide more excitement for fans. All of these would be interesting to see reflected in NHL 16, but depending on how elaborate some of this gets, it might be something that has to be patched in.
Read More - NHL 16: Upcoming Potential Rule Changes And How They'll Impact the Game
Monday, March 16, 2015
12:21 PM - March 16, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
With Mayweather vs. Pacquiao coming up in May, it struck me as rather sad that gamers have no real way to enjoy boxing in this next generation. To be sure, it’s been a painful sabbatical for fans of the Fight Night series, as EA has switched gears into the MMA world with EA Sports UFC. The business decision certainly made sense for the UFC at the time, as they got to partner up with a bigger brand in EA. For EA, they got to give the Fight Night license a rest while riding the rocket that was the UFC. With only just over a million units sold on Xbox One and PS4 for EA Sports UFC, according to VGChartz, one has to wonder if this was a bet worth taking.
Read More - Where Is A New Fight Night Game?
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Rugby often gets summarized with this old chestnut: it's a savage game played by gentlemen. Well, Rugby 15 is a savage game … that should only be played by savages. It pains me to say it, but HB Studios, who showed us so much with The Golf Club, has committed a major infraction with this release — a $50 rugby simulation that's about as barebones as you can get. It's clear that some effort went into securing team and player licensing for this game, but the features, presentation and gameplay of this product are alarmingly subpar.
Read More - Rugby 15 Review (Written by Glenn Wigmore)
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
10:24 AM - March 4, 2015. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Glenn Wigmore
The second DLC showcase for WWE 2K15 is now available, and it’s centred on Mark Henry, the WWE’s long-tenured “World’s Strongest Man.” Henry is kind of a funny story, as the WWE signed him way back when during the death throes of the big-man era of wrestling. The problem was that they paid a lot of money to Henry, and he struggled to really materialize into anything remotely marketable. His 10-year contract was rumored to be in the neighbourhood of $1 million a year, which was a lot to shell out for an unproven commodity. Only in recent years has Henry managed to create some type of return on investment for the company, but even that is dubious.
Read More - WWE 2K15: "Hall of Pain" Showcase Review (Written by: Glenn Wigmore)
Friday, February 20, 2015
10:59 AM - February 20, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
I've been having a ton of fun playing #IDARB on Xbox One, as it provides a breath of fresh air to the pixel-art indie scene, specifically thanks to its tight gameplay, crazy customization options and fulsome Twitch/Twitter support. Behind of all of the irreverent wackiness, nostalgia and flashing lights, there is real depth to the game. I can see why Other Ocean and Microsoft Studios are positioning the game as sort of an e-sport and Twitch phenomenon, because the amount of nuance you can put on shots is really something. That's to say nothing of the defensive strategies that can develop when multiple people are playing the field and using all of the geometry at their disposal.
Read More - Opinion: IDARB's Twitch/Hashbombs Show Promise for Other Games
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