Must Buy Games - 2014

[RedKnight]

[Allan]

Just watched the PlayStation Access video about Alien Isolation. No way can it be as poor as Colonial Marines. No way.

 

[RedKnight]

I don't think so either. Creative Assembly have worked closely with Sega for a while and after Colonial Marines, I would imagine Sega are paying far more attention to the development of Isolation. It has the potential to be terrifying.

[Allan]

3+ years of development so far. Cautiously optimistic. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out on how this further develops. I don't want to see a demo or open beta for this. I'd rather they keep everything nice and closed, as they appear to have done so far, iron out any bugs and release a top class game. 

[Allan]

Just watched half hour or so of the Sony keynote at CES. The anticipated cloud service is due for release this summer, probably just the US release. There's a closed beta scheduled in the US later this month.

 

This service is called PlayStation Now. It will allow access to a library of titles that can be played/watched on PlayStation, and non-PlayStation devices.

 

IGN.com article

 

 

Today at CES, Sony revealed PlayStation Now, an all-new games streaming service that will allow "classic" PlayStation games to be played across current-gen PlayStation hardware, as well as directly on other non-gaming platforms. PlayStation Now harnesses the power of Gaikai, the company Sony purchased for $380 million back in the summer of 2012.

 

The idea behind PlayStation Now is simple: you will ultimately no longer need to keep a PSone, PlayStation 2, or PlayStation 3 around to experience games from those consoles. PlayStation Now will allow streaming of classics from those systems to not only PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, but to televisions, tablets, and smartphones.

 

 

For launch, the games available will no doubt be limited, but Sony's Andrew House did confirm that Naughty Dog's The Last of Us and Quantic Dream's Beyond: Two Souls will be among the titles available to play without a PlayStation 3 at CES in order to test out the service.

 

It's unclear what the specific roster of games will be when PlayStation Now launches, and whether it will basically be a conduit for what's already available for PSone, PS2, and PS3 on PlayStation Network. It's also unclear how much this service will cost, and if it'll be wrapped-in to already-existing services like PlayStation Plus. Either way, this effectively solves PlayStation 4's native lack of digital backwards compatibility.

 

We're awaiting further details about PlayStation Now, but in the meantime, expect a closed beta for the service to begin later this month, with full service rolling out to PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and other electronic devices this summer.

 

[Allan]

PlayStation Blog EU

 

 

Today at the CES show in Las Vegas, SCE President and CEO Andy House unveiled details of PlayStation Now, our new service that will let you stream games to your PlayStation devices using Gaikai’s cloud technology.

 

As you can see in the details below, it will launch in North America later this year. Unfortunately we’re not quite ready to confirm launch plans for PAL territories. When it comes to broadband provision, Europe is a considerably more complex region, with a huge number of different providers and varying connection speeds from country to country. In short, we need a little more time to ensure a smooth and successful roll-out.

 

Rest assured we are working hard to bring PlayStation Now to our region as quickly as possible, and will update you again when we have additional news to share. In the meantime, read on to find out what you can expect from this great new service:

We’re only a week into 2014 and it’s already shaping to be an incredibly exciting year for PlayStation fans.

Today, at CES 2014 in Las Vegas, we announced that PlayStation Now (PS Now), our new streaming game service, will be available in the US this summer. With PlayStation Now, you will be able to stream popular hits and classic games from the PlayStation 3 library, first on PlayStation 4 and PS3 systems, followed by PlayStation Vita.

In addition to PlayStation platforms, most 2014 US models of Sony’s BRAVIA TV line-up will support PS Now. Eventually the service will expand beyond PlayStation platforms and Sony devices, allowing you to stream PlayStation games across a broad range of Internet-connected devices.

 

 

Leveraging Gaikai’s advanced cloud-based technology, PlayStation Now will allow you to:

• Play video games instantly across multiple devices, similar to the way you might stream TV, movies, and music.
• Stream full games to all of your compatible PlayStation devices including PS4, PS3, and PlayStation Vita as well as non-PlayStation devices, beginning with 2014 BRAVIA TV models and expanding to numerous other internet-connected devices.
• Always play the most updated version of your game. With games hosted in the cloud, you can take your game with you – just log in with your Sony Entertainment Network account on a compatible device and your games and saved progress will be easily available.

We want to offer you choice when it comes to how you want to access content on PS Now, so you will be able to rent by title for specific games you are interested in. We’ll also offer a subscription model that will enable you to explore a range of titles.

PS Now will begin a beta program in the US at the end of January with an expected full roll-out in the US this summer. Be sure to check the PlayStation.Blog regularly for more updates on the PS Now service.

 

[Welsh]

I'm already pissed at the though of having to pay for an internet subscription. The fact that Sony will then want to charge another subscription fee for this is laughable.

[Allan]

.

[Allan]

I'm already pissed at the though of having to pay for an internet subscription. The fact that Sony will then want to charge another subscription fee for this is laughable.

 

 

We want to offer you choice when it comes to how you want to access content on PS Now, so you will be able to rent by title for specific games you are interested in. We’ll also offer a subscription model that will enable you to explore a range of titles.

 

Thankfully, it looks like we'll at least have a choice of sorts.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

As long as the game selection is good, I'll be all over that. So many games from yesteryear that I want to play. Gaikai is a very big part of our future strategy by the looks of it.

[AJBlaikie]

The Witness on the PS4 looks like it could be quite good and hopefully The Last Guardian will make an appearance. 

 

Here a preview of that Alien game:

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-07-how-alien-isolation-restores-the-horror-of-the-1979-original

 

There's something lurking in the corner of the room; something big, ugly and grotesque. It's stalking the shadows, sizing up its prey, and everybody's in fear of the havoc it's wreaked - yet no-one's willing to look it in the eye. Instead, during the first chance to play Alien: Isolation, The Creative Assembly's not-so-secret horror spin on the licence that Sega picked up in 2006 and has been fumbling with ever since, the focus is on the single xenomorph that stalks the game's corridors. And understandably so - it's quite the creation.

15 years after being abandoned by her mother, Amanda Ripley's quest for some sort of closure has sent her in pursuit of a black box recorder reportedly jettisoned from the Nostromo. Arrive, collect and leave were the orders of her employers, Weyland-Yutani, yet it's all become a little more complex than that.

Cowering in a locker in the corner of this trading post at the edge of space, Ripley sits tensely still as a nine-foot nightmare stalks the dark corridors beyond, the rising frequency of beeps from her motion tracker indicating that it's getting ever closer. A quick clamp down on the left trigger silences Ripley's ragged breathing, the edges of the screen tinged red as she becomes dizzy with the effort of it all. And just as it seems she must surely gasp out a noisy breath that would then become her last, the beast moves away out of earshot. I exhale in unison, relieved to have survived for a few more minutes at least.

It's a tense introduction to Alien: Isolation, and after the muddy mediocrity of Sega's last use of the licence it's thrilling to see the source material studied so well. Even better, it's the right source material: too many games have trodden in the noisy tracks of James Cameron's thundering tank of a movie, but too few have taken the template of Ridley Scott's 1979 original - a template that itself has its roots in schlocky horror, and one that, when appetites for interactive scares have been proven and provoked by the likes of Outlast and Slender, seems timelier than ever before.

But even as I appreciate the well-orchestrated drama that's playing out against a moodily lit backdrop, there are some prickly questions rising in the back of my mind. Why don't the rapid beeps and flashes emitted by the motion tracker belie Ripley's hiding place in spite of her best efforts to keep quiet? Why does the map screen so rudely pause the action, breaking the tension? And there's the age-old oddity that demands that game world lockers should stand ever empty and ready to serve as a safe haven, instead of being more believably stuffed to bursting with miscellaneous junk.

"We're kind of exposing ourselves in this regard because you're seeing stuff that's really early in implementation," acknowledges Al Hope, creative lead of Alien: Isolation. "We actually had a conversation about whether to take out the whole 'hiding-in-lockers thing' for this event but we decided to keep them it because it helps show our overall intent."

With a 30-minute slice of gameplay plucked from several hours into the game on offer, it's this intent that I'm left to draw impressions from. A subsequent studio tour provides a look at several key design elements that highlight the myriad references to Ridley Scott's original motion picture and the deference with which the IP is being handled. By the end of the day it's apparent to me that while I don't know what the correct unit of measurement for "intent" is, Creative Assembly has it by the bucket-load.

Alien: Isolation nails Dan O'Bannon, Chris Foss and Rob Cobb's aesthetic of a faded future that emitted such a brilliantly dull shine in 1979, and coming up to 35 years on from the original vision its charm has only blossomed. Creaking hardware and dark steel corridors take place of holographic projections and laser beams. Elsewhere, there's a dot-matrix-style hacking system, a distorted VHS quality to video displays and, of course, the familiar rudimentary nature of that motion tracker. They're encouraging nods to the original film's reliance on hand-made props rather than CGI and green screens, and it comes as a result of Creative Assembly trawling through three terabytes of source material provided by Fox Studios, which includes set designs, costume decals and unseen concept art.

Another crucial element of Alien's Haunted-House-In-Space feel is its sound design, and it's here that Al Hope and his team are doing some serious work to ensure the integrity of the atmosphere is maintained. Hope explains that, having secured the licence to use Jerry Goldsmith's original score, The Creative Assembly's sound designers then set about analysing and expanding upon it in order to create a 120-minute soundtrack to grace the finished article.

"As was the case with a lot of the first steps on this project, it was about taking this stuff that we love and expanding on it in a way that is in-keeping with the film," Hope explains. "There was this whole phase of deconstruction in terms of both visuals and audio and really trying to understand what makes this an Alien sound; to establish the DNA and motifs that make it what it is and that any fan would recognise."

This has involved creating a soundtrack that can be dynamically pitched against the on-screen action, and calling upon the services of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (the very same that lent its talent to the original Alien theme) to record the additional tracks. It's shaping up as a suitably evocative score, and just as encouraging is the attention being paid to the use of vocals and sound effects. Both Ripley's strained radio communications with her distant team and the xenomorph's chilling clicks, hisses and snarls help convey a tense feeling of helplessness and, fittingly, of isolation.

"The Alien itself has different vocals depending on what it's doing," explains sound designer Byron Bullock. "There are lots of different vocal sounds for if it thinks it's heard something, if it's actively stalking you or if it has lost your scent. If you're well enough attuned to it then you might actually start to learn these vocals and use them to your advantage towards the end of the game."

Given the focus on survival rather than domination, you're certainly going to have time enough to study the xenomorph while you're crouching behind furniture and hiding in lockers. You're also likely to be spending more time than usual with the antagonist AI.

While the individual enemy AI of a standard shooter typically exists to provide just a few seconds of resistance with the goal of moving you forward, in Alien: Isolation The Creative Assembly is looking to slow the pace right down. You'll be forced to negotiate objectives, collect items and solve puzzles while sharing claustrophobic locales with your extra-terrestrial stalker for periods of up to 20-30 minutes.

It's a fascinating proposition, but one that comes with steep challenges for the developers; the team is looking to implement an AI entity that responds both to its environment and adapts to your survival tactics. With the inventory and crafting systems missing right now there's little opportunity to test these claims, but you'll be expected to scavenge materials for use in creating makeshift survival tools. Eventually you'll be able to play a more proactive part in your own survival than cowering in the corner. However, head-on encounters will still be tantamount to suicide and the Alien will learn from your tactics - you'll have to mix it up, which will hopefully prevent repetition from dulling the persistent terror that The Creative Assembly is aiming for.

"We wanted to build something that was about instinct and unpredictability so that it's less about analysing his logic patterns and more about him as a living creature that will fight to survive," explains lead game designer, Clive Lindop.

"It's one of our biggest challenges, because this isn't just 'an alien' - it's the Alien. We're effectively going against the grain of 15 years of games where in every other iteration you've got a pulse rifle, there's loads of them and you're mowing them down. One of our primary aims is to effectively communicate to the player that this is not one of those guys. This is the original aggressive hunter."

The Creative Assembly has nailed this initial message. Watching through Ripley's eyes as the Alien unfurls from a ceiling duct and hearing her quietly terrified reaction quite simply makes me want to run and hide. But still a big question mark hangs over whether the tension of this brief slice of gameplay can be maintained throughout an entire experience - and then there's the admission that they're battling against years of conditioning that has taught us to shoot from the hip and not run for cover. You don't have to look too far back to see an example of that mentality, of course, and of how easily it can go wrong.

It's the xenomorph-shaped elephant in the room. Speaking to Hope after the demo, I ask about those who got burned by Colonial Marines' positive early showings and subsequent failure to deliver.

"We've been making this game for a long time and right from the outset we've had a really clear vision of what we're trying to achieve," Hope answers. "I think in a way, because of that, we've been naively or even arrogantly kind of blinkered because we're so focused on what we're trying to achieve.

"I do understand that there's a wider context and we've actually been talking about it recently. One of the interesting things from [Colonial Marines'] release was seeing the response on forums where people were saying, 'I want a game that's like Alien, I want that survival horror experience,' and us knowing that we have that.

"All we can do in that regard is keep going the way we're going and deliver on the promise."

The promise is there, as is the intent, and I want to believe that Creative Assembly is up to the task, and that it can improve on its patchy history of console development. As a proof of concept, Isolation undoubtedly delivers. If measured on potential alone, perhaps the developer's already done enough to slay the beasts that haunt the franchise, and to have earned a new and exciting start for the Alien series.

[Bobby Hundreds]

I'm super doped bout that multiple generation cloud based system.... Word

[Allan]

 

The PlayStation Now stuff is on around 42 minutes into the keynote.

[AJBlaikie]

Just pre ordered Destiny on the PS4. It is £44 on Amazon at the moment and I had £5 gift voucher from the secret Santa at work so It costing £39 in total. Glad I used the voucher as it is making me think of buying Killzone and I already have enough games to play and not enough money to buy it with.

 

That Playstation Now looks interesting but we are only getting it in the UK around Jan 2015 plus I still have my PS3 set up and so could probably buy any game I want for that cheaper than this service or already own.

[M_B]

Not a game as such, but a certain must buy if it is released this year. Elite, Star Citizen and IL2 are so far compatible, but it will become an industry standard for all games.

 

Initially it will be for PC use, but it will come to consoles too.

 

Oculus Rift

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INDKNA7kXoo

[robbiefowler9]

Is there any news about the release date of Watch_Dogs yet?

[Vincent Vega]

Is there any news about the release date of Watch_Dogs yet?

 

30th April I read recently.

[Bobby Hundreds]

My desperation for a ps4 and I ain't touched it since December.

[Tony Moanero]

Any news of the release date of Paperboy and Impossible Mission? They look boss - I can't wait!

[Allan]

Activision have announced that the next Call Of Duty game will be developed by Sledgehammer Games, and that the development studios will now be used in a 3 year cycle for the franchise.

 

2014 CoD - Sledgehammer Games

2015 CoD - Treyarch

2016 CoD - Infinity Ward

[Allan]

Plenty of sites saying that Titanfall on the 360 has been delayed by 2 weeks, and will now release on March 25th as opposed to March 11th. The PC & XBone versions are still due for release on the 11th.

 

CVG article.

[Allan]

Just pre-ordered this.

 

[AJBlaikie]

Metal Gear Solid on the PS4 and xbox one 1st part for £19.97 here:

 

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/metal-gear-solid-v-ground-zeroes-ps4-xbox-one-19-97-gamestop-co-uk-1837623

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Thi4f is out on Friday.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

March looks to be a decent month - South Park, Theif, inFamous, Titanfall, Dark Souls II and MGS.