REVIEW: The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

What could have been a quality game full of real survival scenarios you might expect in The Walking Dead universe, Survival Instinct doesn't deliver whatsoever.

Developer: Terminal Reality | Publisher: Activision | Genre: First-Person Shooter

PS3 | Xbox 360 | Wii U | Windows PC

It's always a shame when an idea as ambitious as this is completely ruined through lack of key features and gameplay mechanics, which if done correctly, would have made Survival Instinct a game worth playing. Unfortunately, there's practically no substance and leaves you more than disappointed.

Set before the events of The Walking Dead, Survival Instinct follows the story of Daryl Dixon as he comes to term with the recent zombie outbreak, all whilst trying to locate his brother Merle. Obviously, there's a few hick ups along the way as well as encounters with fellow survivors, but nothing so intriguing you'll be itching to carry on playing. The core narrative is nothing to boast about, leading to skipping cutscenes all together. review1

Right from the start, you'll be tested on your survival skills by taking out a few zombies here and there, making yourself familiar with the simple game mechanics and such. Zombies are generally slow, but can be a nuisance if they're in a pack and chasing you relentlessly, which they do - you might find yourself dying more times than initially anticipated. Of course, you can choose to sneak around, check corners before proceeding, and crouching.

Zombies unaware of your presence can be approached from behind, in which you'll be able to pull of a silent kill - this involves impaling your trusty knife through their skull. Rule #1 of zombie survival: destroy the brain, right? This is a nice touch but the novelty soon wears off. There are zombies literally everywhere you go, but there's no real satisfaction from killing them - there needs to be more incentive such as an XP/level up system or just more of a reason to keep on mowing down the undead.

The entire game plays out like this: get in vehicle, travel through the 'world map', break down, scavenge car parts and supplies, go back on road, rinse and repeat. It becomes boring very quick - perhaps Terminal Reality themselves got a little tired of making the game due to the fact environments are re-used for the breakdown sequences. If you break down near the start of the game, you explore the area for whatever is required, but further into the game you might find yourself doing the same in the exact same environment you were in earlier. That's physically impossible - it just goes to show how much this game was rushed and not thoroughly tested.

If you're going to play a game based on The Walking Dead, do yourself a favour and get stuck into Telltale's games. Survival Instinct offers a weak storyline with predictible and boring gameplay, giving a bad name for licensed games. So much could have been done to make Survival Instinct something truly special - perhaps an open-world game with genuine survival mechanics, instead we have a hugely disappointing cash grab.

3/10

REVIEW: Child of Light

Ubisoft have gone all-out with this incredibly artistic RPG, complete with a cast of unique characters and a narrative that will keep you wanting more.

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal | Publisher: Ubisoft | Genre: Platformer / RPG

PS3 | PS4 | PS Vita (Coming Soon) | Xbox 360 | Xbox One | Wii U | Windows PC 

Whilst this game is filled with often challenging battles complete with grotesque enemies, it's easy to get lost in the beautiful atmosphere, especially with a soundtrack full of ambience and relaxing tones. REVIEW1

After mysteriously falling asleep, a young girl known as Aurora, the protagonist in this story finds herself in a bizarre world known as Lemuria, which has strangely enough had its sun, moon, and stars stolen by Umbra the Dark Queen. Aurora is given the challenging task of retrieving what has been stolen so she can return to her own world and greet her father once again, who is the king in all of this. The narrative is played out in a storybook style with themes of good and evil, what it is to "grow up", and so forth, complete with spoken narration here and there.

Even before beginning the game, you'll be able to notice the incredible art style, a unique combination of what looks like hand drawn/painted pieces fused with a constant bombardment of visually striking environments and backgrounds, often making you forget you're actually playing a game at all. But this is a game (obviously), a 2-D platformer RPG featuring multiple layers and lots of enemies to keep you busy whilst exploring the vast world of Lemuria.

During the early stages, you'll encounter lots of generally easy enemies in order to give you room to learn the game's mechanics in terms of how to navigate the field and basic battle commands. Enemies can be seen in real-time, however once you interact with them you'll enter a battle mode featuring the active time battle system, which is a mix of the battle mechanics you'd get if you combined Grandia and Final Fantasy X, meaning there is a certain amount of time you must wait before utilizing your command but you are also given an infinite amount of time to consider what your next move should be. Although a single enemy can be seen in real-time, there may be up to three in actual battle, which keeps you on your toes as you might not have expected that to happen at all when initially stepping into combat.

The initial stage of a battle can depend on how you approach an enemy, for example if you manage to sneak up behind them you'll start off in a surprise attack state, meaning you have the opportunity to quickly use your attacks, spells, and skills to win the fight. Or an enemy can ambush you, ultimately leaving you to take a lot of damage early on, resulting in you having to wait longer before you can fight back. This keeps battles fresh and promotes different trains of thought when deciding how to take on the many monsters in the game, which there are a lot of and vary in skill sets, difficulty, and distinctive appearances. 

One of the main themes you are reminded of throughout the entire game is that of light versus dark - practically every enemy has a weakness against light-based attacks, but more notably is Aurora's firefly companion; Igniculus. This ball of light is a fantastic tool to help you along the adventure as he has many abilities such as being able to shine his vibrant glow on enemies to slow them down in battle or use his skills to heal Aurora and the rest of her party. Although his abilities are useful, they quickly consume a lot of 'wishes', which are essentially power to keep him going - these wishes can be found in real-time as well as within battle and are advised to collect if you are running low on energy.

There are various puzzles throughout which are way too easy and feel as if they've been put there to shamelessly extend the gameplay, but are a nice addition if you want a break from grinding for experience. No matter where you go, there are plenty of items to collect, whether it's coffers (treasure chests), stardust orbs, which are used to permanently increase stats, or confessions - a less common collectible that give an insight into the world of Lemuria. Not massively important but are worth finding as you'll be able to explore the vast world in detail, rather than heading straight to the end of the game. This is a game that needs exploring properly.

Along the way you'll bump into a whole host of other playable characters, in battle at least. These include Rubella, a Jester who specialises in healing and defence boosting, Finn, a spellcaster who can use his spells to effectively deal with element-based enemies. There are more characters to find but I'll let you do that yourself - each will offer a specific range of skills which are hugely helpful in some way or another. Only two characters can participate in battle at a time, however everyone will gain experience regardless of their involvement.

Like most RPGs, Child of Light is no different in terms of character development - you gain experience from enemies, more from bosses, allowing you to level up and gain skill points, which are used to unlock new skills, abilities, spells, and stat upgrades on a special grid which sort of resembles the sphere grid from Final Fantasy X. Two Final Fantasy X references in one? I really don't mean to. The bosses are visually amazing, and can provide a challenge which will make you thankful you spent the extra time levelling up, or you might end up disappointed at the depressing game over screen if you rushed past potential battles instead of engaging in them. One of the bosses takes its own head off and throws it at you, causing massive damage - it's things like this that make you look forward to fighting the next boss as each is unique in their own way.

Eventually, you are able to fly through the skies, allowing for much faster travel and makes it easier to find those hidden coffers or stardust orbs. Although it's tempting to hastily navigate your way through some parts of the game, it's not advised as there are plenty of environmental hazards such as falling spikes and lava pits, which can cause a lot of damage in a small amount of time if you're not careful. 

It needs to be highlighted just how impressive the overall visual style is and the amount of thought and attention to detail put into the environments and sound design. For example, you could fall down a simple well and find yourself in a complex and beautiful underground structure or a basement in someone's house which ends up being a fiery cavern full of lava and undead enemies. Sometimes you need to stop and simply take in the art style because it's rare games are this stunning, but still provide excellent gameplay.

The music is often peaceful and ambient, which is nice to hear when you're flying through the clouds, but it's also nice to hear the environmental audio heard when travelling through a town, for example a busy market town will promote the sounds of people talking in a crowded environment much like a real market. This adds personality and a sense of atmosphere to the already colourful world.

Child of Light is an incredible story that holds its own with a brilliant battle system - that combined with the gorgeous world of Lemuria will keep you engaged for a lengthy amount of time, something which a good RPG should always do. 

9/10

REVIEW: Hotline Miami

Hotline Miami takes the desire for casual gameplay, rips it apart, and throws you straight in the deep end.

Developer: Dennaton Games / Abstraction Games | Publisher: Devolver Digital | Genre: Action 

PS3 | PS4 | PS Vita | Mac | Windows PC | Linux |

A lengthy single player mode will keep you playing for longer than you might have expected due to the sheer amount of fun to be had, even whilst replaying the game over and over. A healthy challenge is guaranteed, although the level of difficulty could put off casual audiences.

It's the 80's and not much is going on aside from the fact our nameless protagonist is constantly being bombarded with anonymous phone calls from mysterious individuals who want you to fulfill questionable tasks including violent murder and rescue missions. The narrative does eventually get more interesting the more you play but generally it's not an important feature in a game such as this - Hotline Miami is all about arcade-style action at its finest.

Straight off the bat, you might realise the amount of retro influences put into the game, whether it's the incredibly well done music that came straight from an 80s dance club or the visual representations of that specific era in terms of character and level design. It reinforces that retro revival the gaming industry has taken in recent times and it's nice to see that retro ideologies and concepts haven't died out in a world obsessed with the best graphics and so forth. 

The entire game is played in a top-down point of view, and puts you in numerous environments usually set within multi-storey buildings. Each of these levels are generally packed with enemies who are able to kill you in a single hit and they hold no mercy - once you are in the enemies line of vision, they will come after you fearlessly with all they've got. That is, unless you manage to find a hiding spot and wait until they're gone so you can plan your next course of action. 

In the earlier parts of the game, enemies wield simple melee weapons which makes it easier for you to take care of them without having to worry about bullets and other projectiles, however later down the line practically every enemy will hold a gun of some sort, whether it's a double-barreled shotgun, an uzi or a carbine - they will aim to kill you if you cross their paths, so sometimes it's advised to use stealth tactics and kill off the enemies in a discreet and clever manner.  

Of course, you are also welcome to take advantage of all the available weapons, whether it's a baseball bat, a knife, a pair of scissors, a powerful magnum or a machine gun of some sort. Most of the time, you'll be picking up weapons from corpses on the ground, so you'll get the chance to experiment with a varied range of weaponry throughout the game. Additional weapons can be unlocked by racking up your score, which can be increased through killing enemies and stringing together a series of combos - by the end of the game, if you played well, you'll most likely have all the weapons unlocked.

Between each chapter, in which there are 20, you'll experience a series of interludes allowing you to soak up the 80's atmosphere - a nice reminder of the themes played on throughout the game. No matter how you dispose of the enemy, lots of blood and violence will play their parts, whether you rip someones head off or blast a few shotgun shells into the stomach - this is the kind of violence that's needed in a game such as this. Don't worry Jack Thompson, it's only a video game.

Within the levels, there are masks to collect - each one contains different traits, for example the Tony (the Tiger) mask grants you strong fist attacks, making it easy to pick off enemies without the hassle of loud gunshots and so forth. Another notable mask is Carl (the Grasshopper), which gives you a drill at the start of the level - Driller Killer, anyone? After eventually making it through a chapter, you'll be given a grade based on how well or how bad you did in terms of combos, creative killing, etc.

You will die a lot in this game, there is even an achievement/trophy that is awarded once you die 1000 times, which is almost a slap in the face as you're being praised for not being able to stay alive, but it's all in good fun and even though you will repeatedly die at times, you'll find yourself wanting to carry on anyway as the game is ridiculously fun and addictive. 

Whilst Hotline Miami may initially seem like a straight up fast-paced action game, there is plenty of room for tactical thought before taking on a level, for example there might be an open window you can sneak in through before entering a building, allowing you to take out enemies using stealth. Or you can simply blast your way through hoping that you don't get shot along the way - it's up to you how you play it.

Hotline Miami has enough hints at the final conclusion to keep you wanting more, but its biggest strength lies in the gameplay, which will keep you occupied for a long time, whether you want to gain the best grade on each chapter for bragging rights or collect all of the weapons and masks. This game deserves to be played due to the sheer amount of thought and detail gone into creating one of the most enjoyable games this generation has to offer. REVIEW1

8/10

RETRO REVIEW: Final Fantasy X

Arguably one of the most loved entries into the series, Final Fantasy X introduced voice acting and a truly unique character development system.

PS2 | PS3 (HD Remaster) | PS Vita (HD Remaster)

With the recently released Final Fantasy X HD Remaster, Gaming Till Dawn decided to look at the original and highlight just why it's such an incredible experience.

Originally released back in 2001, Final Fantasy X is considered a breakthrough in the series as it utilized voice-acting, impressive visuals and an incredible narrative that could pull the heart strings of the toughest gamer. The game's story starts on the horizon of the ruined city of Zanarkand, in which we are briefly introduced to the main protagonist; Tidus - an emotional yet determined character who you'll be playing as throughout this epic adventure. Other characters can be spotted, but at this point literally nothing is known of them - this is actually a point later on in the game, but for those who haven't played Final Fantasy X, no spoilers will be given. 

You'll travel throughout Spira as the guardian to Yuna - a summoner who's mission it is to rid the world of Sin, a gigantic monster who holds more secrets to Spira than initially meets the eye. Other guardians include Wakka, a larger than life Blitzball player, Lulu, a mysterious and knowledgeable black mage, Kimahri, a member of the Ronso tribe who swore to protect Yuna no matter what - those are the intial characters, later on you'll acquire Auron, a guardian of Tidus' father Jecht who promised he would look after Tidus, and finally Rikku, a member of the Al Bhed who isn't afraid of stealing items now and again. retroreview

There is so much to talk about with this game, so let's start with the sphere grid - like every Final Fantasy title, there comes a method to build up your character, and the sphere grid is perhaps one of the most unique ways of doing that. No longer do the characters simply level up and gain stat upgrades that way, rather you are encouraged to navigate a grid with upgrades dotted around the "map" so to speak, allowing you to custom design the way certain characters enhance themselves, for example, Lulu could pursue the white mage class instead - although that's not strongly advised, but is a good way of demonstrating the creativity involved with the sphere grid. Maybe you want to avoid the linear route you're expected to go and attempt to play the game in different ways by applying specific upgrades to characters in a non-conventional way.

Compared to today's graphics and visual enhancements, Final Fantasy X might not be impressive but at the time they were absolutely breathtaking and took full advantage of the PS2's software. This created some of the most visually striking environments, whether it was the sun-drenched island of Besaid full of tropical trees and small huts or the massive city of Luca, sporting the gigantic Blitzball sphere and modern technology such as video cameras and gigantic television screens - no matter where you went, highly detailed graphics were guaranteed. All of the characters had their own distinctive look, ranging from Yuna's discreet dress, Kimahri's furry blue skin or Auron's red coat and shades.

Speaking of characters, each offer an extremely interesting backstory - throughout the game, you'll get hints here and there of other characters, for example Kimhari's involvement with fellow Ronso's or how Auron got to Spira in the first place. It's nice that the game doesn't simply focus on Tidus, rather gives you a broad understanding of why everyone else is here and what their goals are aside from protecting Yuna.

The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's played a Final Fantasy game - the track "To Zanarkand" is one of the most memorable, giving you this beautiful atmosphere whenever it's played. Another notable track is "Suteki Da Ne", which is mesmerizing when heard - just a fantastic track that reflects the struggles and triumphs Tidus and the rest of the group have experienced on their travels. However, there are some really nice upbeat tracks such as "Seymour Battle" and of course the "Chocobo Theme".

Let's get down to the actual gameplay - Final Fantasy X has a gigantic library of enemies, most of which have a unique strength and/or weakness, allowing players to tactically decide their next move based on a particular enemy's traits. Before this game, most Final Fantasy titles had an active time battle (ATB) system (introduced in Final Fantasy IV), which let you choose your action once the waiting bar was filled, however, Final Fantasy X offers an original and unique system that allows you to take your time - this is known as the conditional turn-based battle system (CTB). The CTB system gives you the chance to think out your next decision without the pressure of having to worry about the enemy attacking you, which is a fantastic feature especially for those tough boss battles later on. 

There's a ton of mini-games to take part in, some more popular than others - however, it's Blitzball that really steals the show, this is an underwater sports game of sorts that pits teams of five against each other. It's a nice addition and gives you something to do if you want a break from the main narrative. Other mini-games include the infamous Chocobo Trainer - a series of events that test your Chocobo riding skills, although it's often frustrating and difficult as the Chocobo doesn't exactly go where you need it to most of the time.

Overall, Final Fantasy X will give you approximately 50 hours of fantastic gameplay accompanied with one of the best narratives in gaming history, however those who wish to fully experience the game should spend 80-90 hours, making sure all of the sidequests are completed or the sphere grids are fully maxed out. Either way, no matter how you play it, this is one of the best games not only on the PS2 but in the entire Final Fantasy series. If you haven't played it, go out and purchase the HD Remaster, which actually includes Final Fantasy X-2 as well, but that's another review all together.

10/10

NEWS: Murdered: Soul Suspect Achievements Revealed

All of the achievements have been released today, making up for a total of 1000 GS.

Xbox Achievements has posted all 48 achievements which are available to obtain in Square Enix's upcoming detective thriller; Murdered: Soul Suspect, which is to hit shelves June 3 in North America and June 6 throughout Europe on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows.

See below for a complete list of achievements and the gamerscore to be awarded, but be warned - spoilers may be included in some of the titles and descriptions.

Collector 1 (10G)

Collected an artifact.

Collector 10 (10G)

Collected 10 artifacts.

Collector 25 (10G)

Collected 25 artifacts.

Collector 50 (10G)

Collected 50 artifacts.

Collector 75 (10G)

Collected 75 artifacts.

Collector 100 (10G)

Collected 100 artifacts.

Collector 150 (10G)

Collected 150 artifacts.

Collector All (125G)

Collected all of the artifacts.

Ronan's Story (10G)

Learned about Ronan's life.

Baxter's Story (10G)

Learned about Baxter's life.

Rex's Story (10G)

Learned about Rex's life.

Cassandra's Story (10G)

Learned about Cassandra's life.

Julia's Story (10G)

Learned about Julia's life.

The Bell Killer's Story (10G)

Learned about the Bell Killer.

Salem's History (10G)

Discovered Salem's history.

The Witch Trials (10G)

Discovered information about the witch trials.

Codex (10G)

Discovered the meaning of the supernatural graffiti.

A Watery Grave (20G)

Uncovered the Watery Grave ghost story.

The Bell Tower Banshee (20G)

Uncovered The Bell Tower Banshee ghost story.

The Stalwart Specter (20G)

Uncovered The Stalwart Specter ghost story.

The Heirloom (20G)

Uncovered The Heirloom ghost story.

Man in the Box (20G)

Uncovered the Man in the Box ghost story.

Terror on the Tracks (20G)

Uncovered The Terror on the Tracks ghost story.

Ashes to Ashes (20G)

Uncovered the Ashes to Ashes ghost story.

Eternal Flame (20G)

Uncovered the Eternal Flame ghost story.

Discover Remove (10G)

Used Remove for the first time.

Discover Reveal (10G)

Used Reveal for the first time.

Possess the Cat (10G)

Possessed the Cat.

Mindreader (10G)

Used Mind Read for the first time.

Poltergeist (10G)

Used Poltergeist for the first time.

Interrogator (10G)

Interrogated a ghost for the first time.

Exorcist (20G)

Defeated a demon.

Investigator (10G)

Completed the first investigation.

Teleporter (10G)

Teleported for the first time.

The Missing Body (20G)

Helped Ingrid find peace.

Amnesia (20G)

Helped Julie find peace.

Carnage (20G)

Helped Brad find peace.

Scorned (20G)

Helped Katy find peace.

10 Secret Achievements

9 X 25G

1 X 150G

NEWS: Child of Light Developer Diary Released

The first installment in the Child of Light development diary shows off artwork inspiration and gameplay.

Ubisoft has uploaded the first development diary (see below), which gives a behind-the-scenes look into the game's art direction, the narrative, and numerous pieces of gameplay. 

Various people working on the project discuss their own contributions to the game, including Creative Director Patrick Plourde and Writer Jeffrey Yohalem. 

Yohalem has described the game as a "playable poem that chronicles the journey of a  young girl - it's a coming of age story"

Artists such as Edmund Dulac and John Bauer are highlighted in the video as inspirations behind the art and visual style seen in the game. 

Ubisoft has given the game a release date of April 30, and will be available on Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and Windows.

NEWS: BAFTA Games Awards 2014 Winners

Unsuprisingly, The Last of Us won most of the awards, whilst titles such as Grand Theft Auto V and Tearaway also took up some of the limelight.

The Last of Us continues to win even more awards, racking up a total of five at the 2014 BAFTA Games Awards - other highlights include developer Rockstar receiving the BAFTA Fellowship, which was presented by Metal Gear creator; Hideo Kojima.

For a full list of categories presented at the event, along with all the winners, see below.

Action & Adventure

The Last of Us

Artistic Achievement

Tearaway

Audio Achievement

The Last of Us

Best Game

The Last of Us

British Game

Grand Theft Auto V

Debut Game

Gone Home

Family

Tearaway

Game Design

Grand Theft Auto V

Game Innovation

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Mobile & Handheld

Tearaway

Multiplayer

Grand Theft Auto V

Music

BioShock Infinite

Performer

Ashley Johnson as Ellie in The Last of Us

Sport

FIFA 14

Story

The Last of Us

Strategy & Simulation

Papers, Please

BAFTA Ones to Watch

Size DOES Matter

NEWS: The Last of Us Movie Will Be An Adaptation

Naughty Dog has confirmed The Last of Us movie will be an adapation of the game's narrative.

After the recent announcement of an official The Last of Us movie, it has now been confirmed the narrative will be an adaptation of the story seen in the game. It was Naughty Dog's very own Neil Druckmann, who is also responsible for creating The Last of Us.

IGN spoke with Druckmann at the BAFTA Game Awards, saying:

"It's an adaptation of the story of The Last of Us."

"As far as where we go and how we make it fit into a film, how it takes into account the unique properties of film... we're not sure yet. We're only scratching the surface."

What we currently know is that Druckmann will be writing the script, whilst other talents working on the project include Naughty Dog's co-presidents Evan Wells and Christopher Balestra, game director Bruce Straley, and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi.

NEWS: Watch Dogs Minimum PC Specs Revealed

Those planning on purchasing the PC release of Watch Dogs can take a look at the minimum specifications needed to play.

Creative Director for Watch Dogs, Jonathan Morin, has tweeted details regarding requirements needed in order to play the PC version under minimal settings. Take a look at the specifications below:

Processor: IntelCore 2 Quad Q8400 2.66Ghz or AMDPhenom II X4 940 3.0Ghz

Memory: 6GB RAM

Video Card: 1024 VRAM DirectX 11 Shader 5.0

Sound Card: DirectX9

Hard Drive: 25GB

Watch Dogs has quickly become one of the most anticipated titles and was supposed to originally release in November 2013 - however due to various concerns regarding the game's quality, it will now hit shelves May 27 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC.

Ubisoft recently spoke on the Wii U version, describing how it is still coming but at a later unknown date - read more HERE.

GIVEAWAY: Dead Island Riptide

Something a little different from the usual posts, but Gaming Till Dawn is giving away a free copy of Dead Island Riptide on PS3. 

All you have to do is either:

1) Comment on this post. 

2) LIKE on Facebook HERE. 

3) RT on Twitter HERE

NEWS: Lightning Returns DLC Contains Classic Final Fantasy Costumes

Various costumes are now available to download for Xbox 360 and soon to be on the PS3.

A collective of various costumes, or garbs if you like, can be applied to protagonist Lightning in the latest title within the Final Fantasy XIII universe; Lightning Returns.

Square Enix uploaded three videos today showcasing the mentioned costumes, including Yuna sporting her the classic summoner's look seen throughout Final Fantasy X, or if you'd like you can slash through enemies with the Buster Sword - a gigantic sword made famous through Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII. 

See below for an entire list of what's currently available, including individual pricing - the DLC is to also be available through the PlayStation Network tomorrow. Xbox 360 users can now access the content via the Xbox LIVE marketplace.

Legends Collection

Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII) 

£3.99 / €3.19

Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)

£3.99 / €3.19

Yuna (Final Fantasy X)

£3.99 / €3.19

Note: all of the above can be purchased for £7.99 / €9.99 as a single package.

Samurai Collection

Shining Price

£2.39 / €2.99

Dark Samurai

£2.39 / €2.99

Sohei Savior

£2.39 / €2.99

Utsusemi

£2.39 / €2.99

Art of War

£2.39 / €2.99

Flower of Battle

£2.39 / €2.99

Shogun

£2.39 / €2.99

Note: all of the above can be purchased for £7.99 / €9.99 as a single package.

NEWS: HMV Will No Longer Sell Pre-Owned Games - 70% Discounts Applied

With plans of no longer selling pre-owned games, HMV has given a massive 70% discount to all stock in an attempt to get rid of it.

Games across all platforms including Xbox One and PS4 are currently on discount throughout the UK at seemingly every HMV store. The retailer wants to eradicate pre-owned content, so to speed up that process, a decision was made to apply a large-scale sale.

It's not yet clear why HMV wish to remove pre-owned games from their stores, but this is a fantastic opportunity to bag some bargains before all stock is gone, which at a discount that high, shouldn't take too long.

HMV Chester tweeted a photo displaying the 70% discount on CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and merchandise - its not confirmed if all outlets are also offering sales on other goods besides video-games. Get spending!

NEWS: The Last of Us Movie Confirmed

Sony are to work on an official movie, which is to be distributed through the company's own film production company; Screen Gems.

The online magazine Deadline, dedicated to the latest goings-on within the film industry, has posted details regarding The Last of Us movie. It appears numerous Naughty Dog employees are to play important roles in the creative process.

Neil Druckmann, Naughty Dog's creative director is to write the script, whilst co-presidents Evan Wells, Christopher Balestra, and game director Bruce Straley are to be involved as well.

Sam Raimi, director of the Spider-Man and The Evil Dead movies is to lend a hand, although it's not yet clear exactly what his role will be. Raimi's own production company, Ghost House Pictures, is also attached to the project.

A logline has been provided, saying:

"Hardened survivor Joel teams with young and capable companion Ellie to journey through a radically transformed world some 20 years after an infectious pandemic ravages humanity. The game has won numerous awards and has been a big seller since its release last summer."

I'm sure most would agree Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story and Hostage) could totally play the role of Joel....

Image courtesy of TotallyLooksLike.com

NEWS: Watch Dogs PS3/PS4 Bundles Coming To Europe

Sony has revealed PlayStation bundles of the highly anticipated Watch Dogs.

Ahead of its launch on May 27, Watch Dogs is be released alongside two bundles unique to PlayStation 3 and 4. Both packages include an extra 60 minutes of gameplay, which is to be exclusive to the PlayStation releases of the game.

Included is a copy of the game, a 500 GB PS3 or PS4 console depending on which you purchase, a controller, and access to the additional gameplay. No price has yet been confirmed, however you can check out both bundles below.

The Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC versions are to also hit shelves on May 27, with a Wii U release not yet confirmed. There are currently no signs of any Xbox or Wii U bundles.

REVIEW: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Whilst taking a departure from the core values of most Metal Gear games, Revengeance is an interesting take on the Raiden character.

Developer: Platinum Games | Publisher: Konami| Genre: Action

PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Windows PC

Offering a generally fun overall experience, Rising stands on its own as an action game with some extremely corny one-liners.

Taking place after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (MGS4), a lot has changed - 'The Patriots' are no more due to numerous Private Military Companies (PMC's) destroying the specialist organisation. Now, the world is riddled with PMC groups who have created cyborg technology capable of manufacturing soldiers equipped with superhuman abilities, including Raiden himself.

Raiden is now working for a PMC group known as Maverick Securities consisting of various specialists in certain fields such as military and computer technology. Whilst some PMC's are trying to bring good to the world, many are doing the exact opposite - this is where Desperado Enterprises comes in, who's mission it is to encourage war so they can take advantage of its various rewards including money and further evolution of technology.

Raiden is hired to protect the African Prime Minister N'mani - who wishes to see the world at peace, specifically Africa, this doesn't go down very well with Desperado Enterprises, who eventually ambush Raiden and N'mani. This is essentially where the game starts - you're put in control of Raiden once again who is hell-bent on hunting down the attacker, however this as you will find out, is not the biggest problem Raiden faces by any means.

Right from the start, you're put straight into the action, which is quickly followed by a tutorial if you wish to go over any of the gameplay mechanics - this is advised as whilst this game might seem like a straight up action game, more tactics are involved than initially meets the eye. One of the first abilities you'll come across is the option to utilize Raiden's 'Ninja Run', which is an effective way of dodging enemy bullets and overcoming physical obstacles - ultimately this is a lazy way of maneuvering the landscapes as you won't be required to do anything except hold down a single button.

Expanding on his ways with a sword in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (MGS2), Raiden is now equipped with a high-frequency blade that has the ability to slice through practically anyone and anything that gets in its way. Raiden can enter a trance-like state, in which you are able to slash through enemies at an extremely rapid pace, making for massive damage and long combos - this is a great way of disposing the more difficult enemies and looks visually awesome as splatters of blood shower the environment around you.

Occasionally you'll have the chance to explore the game's very minor stealth elements, which consist of sneaking up behind enemies and taking them down in a quick series of attacks - this is something you should explore as it saves a lot time, making for a better rank at the end of battles and/or chapters. You will be given a rank based on various aspects including damage taken, time spent, the amount of combos and so forth - this often encourages replaying a certain chapter, especially if you're into getting the best possible outcomes, it's also a good opportunity to claim bragging rights if you manage to get an S rank throughout the entire game.

Enemies range from some pretty simple cyborgs who don't put up much of a challenge at all, more of practice in preparation for the enemies further on in the game, including Metal Gear's themselves - boss fights have a strange learning curve as some of the earlier fights are often more difficult than the later ones. Either way, most boss encounters are both enjoyable to play out and visually striking as most villains are throughout the entire Metal Gear franchise. review1

Whilst Rising is a massive departure from the stealth espionage elements seen throughout the Metal Gear franchise, it shouldn't put gamers off too much - as an action game, it does its job very well offering some over the top sequences, including jumping on moving missiles and taking down a helicopter. If you're a veteran of the series, Rising could come as a shock due to the sheer amount of difference, but once you've seen past that, you'll have a generally good time plowing through enemies, accompanied with a healthy amount of challenging gameplay.

7/10

NEWS: Price Reduced For MGS V: Ground Zeroes

Physical releases of the game has had price drops applied ahead of its release next month.

The physical release of the game had originally been priced up at £39.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 on both the PS4 and Xbox One, the same price as the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. Now, all copies will cost £29.99 / $29.99 / €29.99, whilst the digital download is still priced at £19.99 / $19.99 / €19.99.

Ground Zeroes is the prologue The Phantom Pain, offering players an insight into the narrative between both events - in other MGS V news, Konami has revealed exclusive benefits of purchasing Ground Zeroes during its first phase of release, read more HERE.

Ground Zeroes will release March 18, with the PS3 and PS4 versions containing an exclusive Déjà Vu mission, featuring the classic Solid Snake from the 1998 PlayStation release. Xbox 360 and Xbox One players are to have access to another exclusive mission titled Jamais Vu, this time the cyborg ninja Raiden is to be the center of attention.

NEWS: Exclusive DLC Available For MGS V: The Phantom Pain

Konami has detailed various advantages of purchasing Ground 
Zeroes earlier rather than later.

A press release from Konami has given players reasons to purchase the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes during its initial release.

An exclusive DLC which promises "players with additional resources for a Mother Base area", meaning upon eventually starting Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, will award you extra staff to give you the upper hand when heading into The Phantom Pain.

Those who want to take part in these specific benefits must purchase Ground Zeroes during its first batch of release and also for a "limited period of time for the digital version."

Ground Zeroes is to hit shelves March 18 and acts as a short prequel to The Phantom Pain - both will be available on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

NEWS: Sony Discuss PS2 and PS4 Sales

Hiroshi Kawano has spoke in-depth regarding the PS4 and its ability to match PS2 sales.

Speaking with the Japanese gaming website Inside-Games, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Asia and Japan Hiroshi Kawano explains how the PS4 will continue to sell more units and hopefully even bypass or meet the same sale numbers of the PS2.

Dualshockers translated the interview, which shows Kawano speaking of the disappointing PS3 sales, saying "unfortunately the sales of the PS3 didn't even get near the sales of the PS2. It may be difficult for a home console now, but I think we shouldn't say it's impossible unconditionally."

He goes on to discuss how he believes "it's possible to expand the popularity of the PS4 by providing a rich gaming experience and making use of the fusion of network service and high performance that is possible only on home consoles."

When discussing matching sales of the PS2, Kawano said "we'll have to do our best in the future." - currently, the PS2 has sold the most units with a staggering 155 million and counting since it's initial release in 2000.