Aliens versus Editor
By Adam Smith on December 11th, 2012.
Recently, I had the chance to play Aliens: Colonial Marines and I’m going to try and write more than one thousand five hundred words about the experience without quoting Aliens once. Will I manage to describe two varieties of multiplayer from the perspective of both alien and marine without once using the words of Hudson or Hicks? Will I convey my thoughts about the small portion of campaign I experienced without inserting a Vasquez line or two? Probably not.
Dig For Victory
By Adam Smith on November 20th, 2012.
There are spades for digging, blocks for building and a drill for tunnelling or demolition work. Ace of Spades a bit like Minecraft, you might think. Well, there are also rifles for shooting, grenades for exploding and sniper rifles for long range headpopping. It’s a team deathmatch game on large, destructible maps! But when I played it last week, Ace of Spades put me in mind of something else entirely.
Virulent
By John Walker on November 15th, 2012.
After the disappointment of a failed Kickstarter in July this year, Retrovirus developers Cadenza fought on regardless. Instead they found funding through Gamestop, in exchange for their launch being via the US store’s digital download service. They got a pretty sweet deal, the sort that usually only goes to AAA games, with in-store promotion and a lot of exposure. Other release platforms will come later, with the full game due early next year, and it’s all DRM-free from the off. Right now buying it for $18 gets you into the game’s alpha. Meanwhile, I’ve had my hands on the about-to-be-launched beta version, written about below, along with the latest trailer.
Jump, jump, jump, jump, jump for joy.
By John Walker on October 17th, 2012.
Last night I tipped back my head and cried to the world, “I want a Metroid-style game to play!” “Play the Platformines beta, then dummy,” came the reply. So I did. And still am. And it’s huge. Falling somewhere between Terraria and an Amiga combat-based platformer, Magiko Gaming‘s enormous open world of 2D jumping and shooting is already looking pretty damned fine. And you know what’s better than a double-jump?
Shoot two of these and see me in the morning
By John Walker on October 11th, 2012.
Painkiller is a game that’s never really been away since it first appeared in 2004. While never actually receiving a formal sequel, there have been four more games since, each from a different developer, and each described as a standalone expansion. Which makes it all the more strange that Painkiller: Hell & Damnation is still not a sequel, but rather a remake. I’ve had my hands on five of the levels.
Designated hitter
By Adam Smith on October 5th, 2012.
So many bodies stuffed into closets, so many innocents caught in the crossfire, so much blood on my hands. Out, out damn spot. Oh no, wait I was wearing gloves the whole time. Everything’s fine. Hitman: Absolution is best played without a conscience for its pleasures are of flesh punctured and perforated. I’ve killed in many ways as I played through the game’s opening missions and after the early elation of having the piano wire back in my hands, I’ve had a long think about the best and the worst of the experience.
Death And The Alien
By Adam Smith on September 13th, 2012.
I’ve been playing a preview version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown for the past few days. I haven’t really been doing anything else, except occasionally falling to sleep in front of my computer and dreaming about XCOM. I apologise in advance for the length and possible incoherence of what follows. I’m giddy, maybe I’m rambling, but I’m as excited about a game as I have been in a long time. No coy introduction here; XCOM is marvellous and now that I’m not playing it, all I want to do is talk about it, write about it, and jump up and down hollering about it.
The cold soldier
By Adam Smith on August 23rd, 2012.
At Gamescom, Relic gave me an article of clothing that says “I survived the Eastern Front” across the back in striking red letters. Considering I barely survived a stroll down the Brighton sea front a couple of months back because there was a bit of rain, it seems inappropriate for me to wear such a statement. I also lost to the AI during a skirmish game of Company of Heroes 2, my blood become ice, but that’s because I wasn’t really trying to win. Here’s what I was doing instead.
Oh, wot a wonderful war (machine)
By Adam Smith on August 20th, 2012.
If anyone was keeping count, they’d probably tell you that I died a lot more often than I killed at Gamescom. Whether having my head knocked off by a hammer or huddling around a fire and failing to survive the Eastern Front, I spent a lot of time meeting makers. Let it be known, however, that I was actually quite good at Hawken, but that’s not the only reason I’m an admirer of the multiplayer deathmech delight.
Port Whine
By Adam Smith on August 9th, 2012.
This was never part of the plan. Dark Souls is coming to PC because so many people asked for it, just as Demons’ Souls only travelled West because an unexpected demand arose. There have been worrying signs that the port will be less than optimal and, having now played the Prepare to Die edition, it’s my sad duty to report that the experience is far from smooth. It’s still Dark Souls though, with more content than on console, and, framerate issues or not, there’s nothing else quite like it.
Just because he severs you, doesn't mean he likes you
By Adam Smith on July 25th, 2012.
Are the open spaces of a frozen planet inherently less conducive to fear than the claustrophobic confines of a creaking interstellar haunted house, blood-stained metal dungeon or sprawling catacomb? Does being followed around by an angry man called Carver tend to cut through an atmosphere of exhilaration and dread somewhat? These were the foremost questions running through my mind as I sat down to play Dead Space 3. Oh, and what’s with the universal ammo?
