Author Bio
Saturday, November 30, 2013
10:39 PM - November 30, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
It's been interesting to see people get fired up about the new game consoles from Microsoft and Sony, as passionate users have debated the merits of launch lineups, resolution, price point and features. I think it's easy for people to lose sight of the fact that all of us have had some fun times with the current generation of consoles, and there's no reason to not expect that the “next generation” will provide similar levels of enjoyment and quality, regardless of platform.
As our own Caley Roark did the other day for the PS4, I'm going to attempt to provide you with some definitive reasons for why you should get an Xbox One. You'll notice that I was very specific in the previous sentence, as I definitely think that the Xbox One is worth your time. While the PS4 is providing an excellent experience — and I do own one — I think it's more of a refined version of what the 360 was trying to do. The Xbox One, buoyed by the improved Kinect camera, actually manages to strive for something a bit more, and even at this stage, you can see some of that future in the UI, voice control and overall software package.
Read More - XBox One Hardware Review
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
10:51 AM - November 26, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
After playing a good number of matches with FIFA 14 on Xbox One, I can confidently say that it's the smoothest-playing game of football to date. Now, this isn't to say that the game eschews the current-gen roots that it's clearly been created from, but the added animation fidelity, framerate and texture work makes the game flow in a way that hasn't been seen until now.
Read More - FIFA Soccer 14: Extended Impressions
Saturday, November 23, 2013
09:43 AM - November 23, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
I was fortunate enough to play the game back at E3, and I really liked the promise of what I saw. There was a crispness and fluidity in how the action unfolded that created a bit more pace without actually speeding up the action. I think a lot of this has to do with the improved framerate and animation fidelity, but the improved shot release and altered momentum seems to be a benefit as well.
Read More - FIFA Soccer 14: First Impressions (XB1)
Monday, November 4, 2013
10:51 AM - November 4, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
When 2K Sports took over the WWE license from THQ, I think most users were cautiously optimistic that a breath of fresh air would help take the franchise to the next level. WWE '13 was undoubtedly a great step forward for the series, as the gameplay and crowd reaction had started to resemble something approximating actual “sports entertainment,” and the introduction of the Attitude Era mode was a compelling nostalgia itch that helped repackage your memories of a cool time in WWE history into something worthwhile.
The reality is that WWE 2K14 likely had a compressed development schedule, and for the most part, 2K has just done what it needed to do to push the cart forward for one more year. This isn't to say that there aren't some solid changes to the gameplay — and this year's 30 Years of Wrestlemania mode is a fun time, to be sure — but much of what you'll get here is quite familiar if you played WWE '13.
Read More - WWE 2K14 Review (360/PS3)
Friday, October 18, 2013
03:50 PM - October 18, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
NHL 2K7 was officially the second hockey game released by 2K Sports on Xbox 360, but truthfully, NHL 2K6 was just a quick and dirty port of the OG Xbox game of the same name. NHL 2K7 was also the first year that the big two hockey franchises would go head-to-head, as EA's NHL 07 arrived that same year, bringing along with it some impressive “next-gen” visuals and the innovative skill stick. The 2K hockey games had been quietly doing their thing for several years, serving up a 50-50 split of simulation and arcade gameplay. The one-timer was a staple of the 2K hockey brand, and it was most certainly present and accounted for in NHL 2K7.
Read More - NHL 2K7: A Perfect 10 Then, But What About Now?
Monday, September 16, 2013
06:06 PM - September 16, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
Pro Evolution Soccer's incredibly rich gameplay experience seems to be alive and well with this year's iteration in the series, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014. We had some of our staff writers pen a few thoughts on their experiences with the demo from the past week. Click the link to find out their thoughts.
Read More - Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 Demo Roundtable
Monday, September 9, 2013
11:06 AM - September 9, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
The biggest challenge facing NHL 14 is co-existing in the same release window as several other big sports franchises which will be debuting on the new console hardware. The team at EA Vancouver told me that they felt this allowed them to focus on gameplay balance while watching how other dev teams discover the idiosyncrasies of the new hardware. As I've written before, there are also business realities to why this is the case for the NHL franchise, but either way, this current-gen version of NHL is the only way to experience a dedicated hockey product this season.
The good news is that this approach has paid off in terms of NHL 14's gameplay, as it's arguably the most satisfying and playable version of the game in several years. While the new modes offered do feel a bit thin, the gameplay has benefited greatly from some added physicality, better skating, improved goal variety and a whole host of tweaks and changes.
Read More - NHL 14 Review (360/PS3)
Monday, August 26, 2013
04:59 PM - August 26, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
The NHL 14 demo dropped last week, giving fans their first chance to play the new edition of EA Sports' newest hockey game. Here are some of our thoughts on this year's demo, be sure to comment with some of your own!
Read More - OS Roundtable: NHL 14 Demo Impressions
Monday, August 5, 2013
11:08 AM - August 5, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
While at E3 back in June, I was able to get a look at the upcoming Football Heroes for iOS and Droid. Developed by Run Games (former big-studio devs who are now doing their own thing), this love letter to retro football aims to provide the simplicity and satisfaction of games like Tecmo Bowl and NFL Blitz while adding in some modern-day XP and character depth.
Football Heroes ends up playing a lot like Tecmo Bowl, with a sidescrolling perspective, squatty player models and comical hit animations. Similarly, the playbook is geared towards you correctly anticipating an opponent's selection for maximum effect. This isn't to say that the playbook isn't robust, as there are lots of formation and patterns to choose from, but the conceit of trying to rock-paper-scissors your opponent's play remains a factor here.
Read More - Football Heroes Hands-On Preview
Football Heroes ends up playing a lot like Tecmo Bowl, with a sidescrolling perspective, squatty player models and comical hit animations. Similarly, the playbook is geared towards you correctly anticipating an opponent's selection for maximum effect. This isn't to say that the playbook isn't robust, as there are lots of formation and patterns to choose from, but the conceit of trying to rock-paper-scissors your opponent's play remains a factor here.
Read More - Football Heroes Hands-On Preview
Friday, June 21, 2013
04:10 PM - June 21, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
I got some hands-on time with Konami's Fox Engine–powered PES 2014 at E3, and the game seems to be iterating nicely, especially compared to the feel of the FIFA series. Now, this isn't to say that PES 2014 surpasses the Xbox One version of FIFA 14 that I got to play, as it isn't at that level, in my opinion. However, when compared to current-gen FIFA stuff, PES continues to feel much more organic and individualistic with its on-pitch action.
Read More - E3 2013: Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 Hands-On
Read More - E3 2013: Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 Hands-On
04:02 PM - June 21, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
When I was demoing NHL 14 at E3 this year, I asked some of the producers how they felt about releasing a popular sports franchise on current-gen hardware when the next-gen hardware is right around the corner. I certainly didn't expect them to admit that they were annoyed to not be able to join the next-party, but it was surprising to hear them say how much fun they were having making NHL 14. They felt that it allowed them to focus completely on gameplay balance and game systems before moving onto the new hardware for next year.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
05:51 PM - June 20, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
One of the showpieces of the Microsoft booth at E3 was Forza Motorsport 5, as it garnered long lines and a good deal of emphasis from the MS staff on hand. The funny thing about racing games, though, is that they usually always look good. They're a flashy way of getting people excited about new graphical engines or, in this case, new hardware altogether. Even though it clearly takes painstaking work to make the cars and tracks look good, it always seems like cars are an “easy” target for eye-popping detail. To be sure, the cars and tracks (for the most part) looked great, from what I played.
Read More - E3 2013: Hands-on With Forza Motorsport 5
Thursday, June 13, 2013
12:11 PM - June 13, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
Hidden away in the Microsoft booth at E3 2013 was Powerstar Golf, one of several digital launch titles for the Xbox One. The game is borrowing quite liberally from the likes of Hot Shots Golf, Golf: Tee It Up and Outlaw Golf, but it also has some fun social wrinkles to make the formula feel fresh. Whether this game ends up being similar to Killer Instinct — in that it's free and has in-game purchases — or if it costs some money upfront, there seems to be more than enough charm and features to make it worth checking out.
Read More - E3 2013: Powerstar Golf Hands-On
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
11:02 AM - June 12, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
On the E3 show floor, EA has several next-gen titles on display in the “Ignite Laboratory.” While all games shown in the lab were impressive in their own right, the most impressive – even though it was the earliest in terms of development – was EA UFC. Up until now, EA has shown CG trailers or target renders for the UFC product, with a few glimpses of character models and faces. We weren't allowed to film what we saw, but if it development keeps up with what they have at this pre-alpha stage, MMA fans are going to be stoked.
Read More - E3 2013: Eyes-On Impressions of EA Sports UFC
10:54 AM - June 12, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Glenn Wigmore
EA Sports was showing a slew of current-gen games at E3 this year, and I got a chance to go hands-on with NHL 14 for the PS3. Even though this current-gen game is being slightly overshadowed by the next-gen horizon of FIFA, Madden, UFC and NCAA, the producers on NHL appeared confident in their product. They feel that it addresses some lingering concerns and adds a lot of intensity, thanks to revamped hitting and fighting. From what I played – on Pro difficulty, admittedly – the game seems as rock-solid as ever, and the new additions add something meaningful to the mix.
Read More - E3 2013: Hands-On with NHL 14
Working...