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Samurai, gods, big rosters – notes from my E3 2018

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Stepping out into the mid-June sunshine, away from the hype and noise that follows any series of E3 press conferences, I couldn’t deny that some of that hype may be rubbing off on me. Before we even get to my E3 2018, let’s remember that we’re already in the middle of what people are claiming to be a new golden era of gaming – one where modern classics are being released with uncommon frequency. Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Nier: Automata, Persona 5, Cuphead, Sonic Mania, Celeste – the list just keeps going, and it looks like the list will grow even more if my E3 2018 was anything to go by. Rather than one platform holder emerging as a clear winner or loser (and let’s not pretend that there haven’t been clear winners and losers in the past), my E3 2018 had Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo revealing exciting and interesting new games.

Microsoft favourites from my E3 2018

my E3 2018

The biggest reveal of Microsoft’s show was undoubtedly Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. A new IP from revered developer From Software, it promises polished third-person action with a samurai flavour. The trailer was only about two or three minutes long but showed the mechanical arm first seen in the “Shadows Die Twice” trailer, and its owner – a character who can go toe-to-toe with swordsmen, use said arm in a grappling-hook fashion to ascend to higher positions or cross chasms, and supposedly rise to his feet after being “killed”, which seems appropriate given the subtitle. Elsewhere, it was revealed that the once PS4 and PC exclusive Nier Automata would receive an Xbox port with the release of Nier Automata: Become as Gods Edition (perhaps to make up for Scalebound’s demise), so hopefully more people can enjoy the weird and wonderful combination of slick Platinum gameplay and distinct Nier quirkiness. Also of note was the first true reveal of Cyberpunk 2077 and news that Devil May Cry would be getting a new numbered sequel, but the lack of substantial gameplay footage for either game suggests that these are very early announcements.

Sony familiarity in my E3 2018

my E3 2018

By comparison, many people criticised the lack of new reveals in Sony’s conference; there were many games we already knew about from previous shows (such as Spider-Man, The Last of Us Part 2 and Death Stranding), and with the remake of Final Fantasy VII still early in development, there was little hope of seeing anything new from that game. Despite this, we did get confirmation of an exciting new PSVR title with From Software’s Deracine, reaffirmation that Mizuguchi’s The Tetris Effect still looks superb, and more gorgeous footage of Sucker Punch‘s Ghost of Tsushima. (As an aside, it seems that samurai games were the general theme of this year’s E3, with Tsushima, Sekiro and a trailer of Nioh 2 all making appearances somewhere amongst the conferences.) Another notable surprise was Remedy’s Control, a game that seems to combine shifting geometry with conventional gunplay and creative mind control mechanics. It was a fun looking title, even if it did make me wish for a sequel to Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy…

Nintendo’s contribution to my E3 2018

my E3 2018

As is to be expected these days, Nintendo combined the bizarre with the exciting, from making me question the need for a Pokéball peripheral used in conjuction with Pokémon Go (which will transfer Pokémon data from the mobile game to a new console game) when you already have wireless communication technology in your primary gaming devices… to the surprise reveal of Daemon X Machina, an exciting action game from Marvelous Entertainment that boasts bright and colourful visuals and shows off the kind of gameplay that brings to mind games such as Omega Boost and Transformers Devastation. Elsewhere in the show, the unveiling of a new Mario Party was hardly a massive surprise – at the same time, the immediacy and social nature of the series is an obvious fit for the Switch hardware – and the new Super Smash Bros seemed hell-bent on including every character from previous games in its roster, to the delight of series fans. It was also revealed that these characters will all be tweaked slightly, hopefully resulting in a balanced game and some exciting re-learning of old favourites.

The highlight of my E3 2018

my E3 2018

All of the three main shows succeeded in giving fans something to look forward to, but the reveal that interested me the most was Babylon’s Fall. This was one of the new announcements from a very short Square Enix showcase scheduled separately from the three main conferences – a new IP being developed by Platinum Games, Babylon’s Fall only revealed a glimpse of CG at the end of its trailer, but was introduced with text-heavy stills that promised a tale of clashing ideologies, of gods striking down against mankind, and of huge armoured characters and electric (or perhaps arcane) powers. It was perhaps the only trailer I went through frame by frame as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, and it’s definitely something I intend to keep an eye on between now and its 2019 release.

Obviously, I saw some criticism levelled at the three main conferences as people collected their own thoughts on discussion boards and in social media – people claimed that Sony’s show repeated the same announcements as last year and didn’t have enough new reveals, or that Nintendo’s show needed to give fans more details about known games in development (precious little was seen of Metroid Prime 4, Yoshi, or Starfox Grand Prix)… Microsoft’s show was perhaps the most refreshing, but I noticed people claiming that their conference pushed 4K and the Xbox One X a little too much for owners of older Xbox models. Despite all of this, I’m remaining optimistic about the future of all three platform holders – there’s something for everyone to look forward to in the near future, and the absence of any big new hardware reveals (certain optimistic individuals expected the unveiling of a PlayStation 5 before the show commenced) suggests that the current generation still has some life left in it for the time being. As ever, let us know if there were any reveals that stood out for you in the comments below.

Race the Sun in VR is an abstract immersive joy

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Earlier this month PS4 players were given the chance to experience Race the Sun in VR, courtesy of a free update that was released for the abstract “endless runner”. The original game tasked players with piloting a solar-powered spacecraft towards the sun whilst avoiding collisions with objects or lingering in shadow. Along the way you’d find collectibles and even face small sub-missions that tested your skills, and the game was broken up into regions, with each transition into a new area being met with a chilled collectible sequence. I never really got into the game when it was first released, but after it was given away as part of the instant game collection on PlayStation Plus I could understand how people could lose evenings to a game that takes the concept of high-score chasing and delivers a game where you’re literally chasing your previous effort to race the sun. Also worthy of note is the abstract nature of the environment, with plain 3D shapes littered around the landscape, sometimes tumbling in front of you or forming canyons or tunnels that you must enter at speed. Indeed, since you’re always hurtling along at such a velocity you can’t afford to take your eyes off the action for a moment, and it’s the kind of game where you feel like if you get in the zone you can navigate through terrifying obstacle sequences with ease.

Race the Sun in VR is pleasant and smooth

Race the Sun in VR

The update allows you to play Race the Sun in VR – if you own the PlayStation VR headset, you can apply an update to the game and when you launch the application you’ll see a new option in the main menu labelled “VR Mode” – upon selecting this option you’ll see the usual prompt to connect and turn on the headset, and then the VR-friendly main menu will initialise on the headset. Playing Race the Sun in VR is quite straightforward – the game still uses the DualShock 4 in this mode and there aren’t any special gameplay mechanics I could see – but the headset offers a more immersive view of the gameworld, wrapping the environment around you (to an extent, at least; it felt like an 180-degree cone of vision where anything “behind” that threshold was a murky grey fog) and placing you directly in the world as opposed to locking the environment within the confines of the TV. Impressively, it still looks just as good and runs and feels like it runs as smoothly with PSVR, and I didn’t come away with any nausea after playing (although my sessions with the game were fairly brief – extended periods of play with other VR games quickly became a bad idea after one night of Rez Infinite bingeing.)

Race the Sun in VR is a welcome update

Race the Sun in VR

Whilst I enjoy the PlayStation VR games and experiences I’ve tried so far, there’s still a lot of VR content that I’d like to see… however, I’m limited by my Store wallet funds (in an ideal world, everyone would be able to buy all of the games) and my “gaming schedule”, which was previously being taken up by Nier Automata‘s campaign and is currently being occupied by the mammoth Atlus JRPG Persona 5. Having the opportunity to play Race the Sun in VR is more than welcome – it’s a free update for a game that can be enjoyed in short bursts, and you won’t feel nauseous playing it. (It also helps that the game’s aesthetics have such an abstract minimalism to them – I can only wonder how such a game would fare if the landscape and colour pallete was busier…)

Race the Sun in VR

You can enjoy Race The Sun in VR if you have the game and have applied the free update. If you’re a long-term member of PlayStation Plus, Race The Sun was given away in 2015, so be sure to check your library

Spaceships, brawls and revivals – my highlights from PSX 2016

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The main conference for PSX 2016 concluded on Saturday evening, and whilst I personally didn’t find a huge amount of announcements to be earth-shattering, there was still a lot to get excited about. So much, in fact, that trying to collect my thoughts amidst so much social media gossip was an impossible task, so on Sunday morning I relocated to a quiet café, pulled out my phone and contemplated the highlights over a small espresso.

PSX 2016 – Capcom’s fighters get a strong showing

PSX 2016

After a brief bit of Uncharted, Capcom’s logo appeared on the big screen and revealed one of the worst-kept secrets of the show: more Marvel vs Capcom. Specifically, MvC Infinite. This trailer was purely cinematic and showed Ryu and Mega Man facing off against familiar comic-book heroes in 2v2 fashion – perhaps a hint of the final game’s format? Speaking of badly kept secrets, the official reveal of Akuma for Street Fighter V also made a showing, together with news that the 2017 season pass was available to preorder. I haven’t played as much SFV as I once did so I don’t know if I’ll be on board for a second season, but it might be worth keeping an eye on.

PSX 2016 – Garou returns and PSVR isn’t forgotten

PSX 2016

More good news emerged with the announcements that Ultimate MvC3, Mother Russia Bleeds and Garou Mark of the Wolves would be available to download right now – since the news I’ve purchased Garou myself as it’s one of my most-played MAME games, so there might be a review appearing on this site shortly. The PlayStation VR segment then followed – Starblood Arena with its weird choice of Psychobilly Freakout for trailer music, and a short montage devoid of game names or logos accompanying footage. Nevertheless, it at least inspires hope that Sony won’t forget about VR as quickly as they forgot about the Vita.

PSX 2016 – more Wipeout, more LocoRoco, more Knack

PSX 2016

The reveal of a Wipeout trailer initially had me wondering if we would get an original new title for PS4 or PSVR. Discovering that it appears to be a “best of” release with content from Wipeout HD, HD Fury and 2048 might have been initially disappointing, but those games were still great, and 2048 could be a lot of fun on a bigger screen. Other revived classics included releases of Crash, Patapon, LocoRoco and Parappa on PS4 – I can’t say I’ll pick them up again straight away, but revisiting LocoRoco is tempting. I was also the victim of my own foolishness when I sarcastically suggested that a Knack sequel would be revealed… and then during the show Knack 2 was revealed. Oh well.

PSX 2016 – Nier gets a date and more surprises emerge

PSX 2016

A game I was actually keen to see more of was Nier Automata, and whilst I would have liked a more substantial trailer, we at least got a release date of 7.3.17 – that’s March 7th for US readers – and reassurance that a demo was still coming. The combination of Nier’s storytelling and Platinum gameplay is still an irresistible prospect, and you can be sure of more coverage here when it’s eventually released. However, I was as interested in surprise announcements as I was about familiar names, and Nex Machina was exactly that. A new game from Resogun developer Housemarque and arcade game legend Eugene Jarvis, this has tons of colour and action and was a highlight of the show for me. Another surprise – albeit one about a familiar name – was that Suda51’s Let It Die (formerly Lily Bergamo) was available to download. More than three years have passed since the 2013 reveal, and whilst the combination of roguelike gameplay and Suda-style action is interesting, the free-to-play hooks might be offputting for casual players.

PSX 2016 – lots to enjoy

PSX 2016

There were a lot of other games I could spend time talking about here – more Resident Evil footage, a new Ace Combat, the revival of Windjammers – but I just wanted to discuss particular highlights for me. Knowing that Garou is available right now, Nier is still on the way and rumoured titles are now confirmed will give me and other fans a lot to enjoy. As ever, feel free to share your highlights and lowlights in the comments below.

Rez Infinite Review (PS4, tested with PSVR)

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Rez has done it again then. It seems that with every iteration of the synesthetic on-rails shooter I change my stance and tell people that, no, this is the definitive version of the game; the one that surpasses all others. The Dreamcast game was an intriguing early attempt marred by framerate issues; these were less noticeable in the PS2 game but everything still looked a little too fuzzy for anyone to think that it was flawless. The release of Rez HD on seventh-generation machines cleaned up the crisp laser lines and kept everything super-smooth, but you still got the feeling that you were looking at a recollection of someone else’s journey through an abstract and fascinating landscape. Rez Infinite? It’s something else entirely. No longer do you feel like you’re gazing into an incredible wireframe environment from the outside; you’re finally a part of the game’s world, and the effect is astonishing.

Rez Infinite – familiarity and depthrezinfinite1

The skeleton of the game is still familiar to Rez veterans; you must lock on to and shoot down targets, collecting overdrives and progress nodes that act as smart bombs and health respectively. Each area is broken into ten layer levels, and at the end of the tenth layer level is a boss. Your journey through an area ends when you’ve either beaten the area boss or taken too many hits. However, in the confines of the PSVR helmet you are fully enveloped in the gameworld, and the sense of depth breathes new life into classic scenes. Reach the pre-boss sequence in Area 3 and those bouncing cubes and rippling shockwaves evoke an intensity that was only hinted at in previous iterations of the game. Meanwhile, the infamous “running man” boss of Area 4 is a rollercoaster ride through twisting tunnels, staged as an exhilarating chase against a boss that now seems to tower above your viewpoint at times. Make no mistake, if you’re a fan of Rez and buy into the idea of surrendering your senses to the game’s world, Infinite accomplishes that sensation better than anything before.

Rez Infinite – the party pieceRez Infinite

And then there’s Area X. A new area exclusive to Infinite, this is almost worth the entrance fee alone. Picking up where Child of Eden left off, this is a world inhabited not by Tron machines and vector shapes, but by particles, glass and organic life. The rails pull you forward but your view wraps around a 360 degree sphere, and subtle indicators on the reticule guide you towards where you should be focusing. The world itself is always glistening with particles and crisp bright lines, whilst the wraparound view and manual acceleration helps to make it feel like a genuine journey rather than a rollercoaster ride. It’s a spectacular feat of development and production, and it makes you feel like this is what Vibes, Rez and Child of Eden were always working towards.

Rez Infinite – a PSVR essentialRez Infinite

If you buy into VR for realism rather than abstraction, or if rail shooters leave you cold, Rez Infinite might not be the game for you. However, as someone who has seen this game develop and improve through several iterations, this feels like the vision for the game that Mizuguchi always had but could never fully realise. It’s hard to imagine where you could go from here; the transition from being a spectator of the world to becoming a VR-enabled inhabitant seemed like the next logical step, and Area X completes the experience and leaves you breathless. I still have a lot of other PSVR games to try in the future, so it’s too soon to say whether or not Rez Infinite is the pick of the bunch, but it sets a strong challenge for any self-proclaimed “killer apps” and is well worth experiencing.

PlayStation VR is available now for £349.99. All PSVR games require the PSVR hardware and a PlayStation Camera. Some games may need PS3 Move Controllers, but Rez Infinite was played on a DualShock 4 Controller.

My introduction to Playstation VR

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If you told an infant-sized Qazimod that he’d go from playing Contra – sorry, Gryzor – on Commodore 64 to having fully-fledged virtual reality in the house, he’d think that you were a liar or a magician. Here we are though, with a new headset ushering in an age of virtual reality for PS4 owners. My introduction to Playstation VR began around midday on October 13th, and the first thing that struck me was just how much stuff there was in the box. You have a headset you put on your head, a box that connects the headset’s two cables to a breakout box, HDMI cables that go from the PS4 to the breakout box and from the breakout box to the TV, a power supply unit connected with two more cables (to the mains plug and breakout box respectively), a USB cable connecting the breakout box to the PS4…and after the PSVR is connected you still have to plug the PlayStation Camera and DualShock 4 in somewhere.

My introduction to Playstation VR – the headset and cables My introduction to Playstation VR

Before my introduction to PlayStation VR, I was worried that my play space would be too small and that the distance from the PlayStation Camera and the headset would be too short for games to work effectively. However, the peripheral distance isn’t why you’ll need floor space; the mass of cables and boxes is a greater concern. At least when you have the headset on you don’t need to see the cables, but trying to tidy things away after each session could take some time to perfect. Additionally, the headset itself is comfortable and not too heavy. Beyond the visor, rubbery flaps shield your peripheral vision from the outside world, and padding on the top and at the back ensure that it feels good to wear. The plastic around the side looks thin and is a little flexible, but it’s not like the plastic is going to break easily. The mess of cables is a bit worrying but it’s not something you’ll ever see that often.

My introduction to Playstation VR – setting up My intro to Playstation VR

The included Quick Start guide has big clear diagrams and simple instructions so that you can get things up and running in no time, and once it’s all ready and calibrated you have an interesting virtual view of the PS4 dashboard. Looking at the tweets I was making during the release day hype, there was about an hour between receiving the package and getting my first look at the virtual dashboard, so the setup isn’t too painful (that said, making floor space beforehand helped.) Some important things to note in order to get comfortable – the button on the back of the headband helps you find the right fit for your head. Also, if you want to readjust your head and then refocus the view, you can hold the Options button on the joypad and this will be done. (I’m ashamed to admit that it took me a moment to get used to that, and I spent a while trying to navigate menus with my head permanently looking to one side.)

My introduction to Playstation VR – viewing and motion

My introduction to Playstation VR

The view inside the headset has a slightly fuzzy resolution but it does the job for what I’ve played. I had never tried modern VR – Oculus, Vive, Gear – before, and the best way I can think of to describe the VR view of the static, flat dashboard is that it was a little like seeing slides in a Viewmaster, with the image suspended in black space. Meanwhile, games such as Tumble VR amply demonstrate the 3D depth effect; as you bring blocks closer to you it feels less like looking at a screen and more like peering into a small room. It’s an impressive effect, and the simple concept of Tumble – use Move to pick up blocks and build a tower – make it a gentle introduction to PSVR.

Another thing worth noting is that I’m new to PSVR and VR generally – I’ve never used Rift, Vive, Gear et al, and I don’t remember trying that many older attempts at VR either. My introduction to PlayStation VR was one where I had no previous VR experience – a big gamble, but so far I haven’t really experienced motion sickness or other dizziness; the most discomfort came from me not centring the view properly or adjusting the headband enough. Admittedly, I’ve only tried a couple of games, so my experience may change with other titles, but my eyes and brain adjusted quickly and easily.

My introduction to Playstation VR – the games

My introduction to Playstation VR

Of those two games, Tumble VR was a perfect introduction to virtual reality – a traditional puzzle experience that takes place in a virtual space. Using Move to pick up and stack blocks isn’t something that really utilises VR in a special way, but it demonstrates how immersive the experience is. If you’re new to VR and want something simple to get started on, or if you ever wanted to feel like an observer in a pipe-filled chamber manipulating a floating controller, it’s worth a look.

Next up, I looked at Rez Infinite. For all intents and purposes it’s Rez with VR-based freelook and aiming, although direct DS4 control can be used as well. Like Tumble, it succeeds in dropping you into some abstract, otherworldly environment, and even though it’s one you’ve been through before on PS2, Dreamcast and 360, Rez Infinite instantly feels more immersive. For a game that is credited for its wireframe looks and energetic sounds, a PSVR headset and some good headphones make you feel like you’re playing Rez how Mizuguchi would have always wanted if the tech was available.

My introduction to Playstation VR – virtual reality for everyone?

My introduction to Playstation VR

If this hardware represents virtual reality for the mass market, my introduction to Playstation VR made a strong first impression. I had previously been criticised in online communities for buying into massmarket hype and ignoring other PSVR reviewers who had reported feelings of nausea, but the results on launch day have been pleasant and exciting. It’s too early to say if the technology will take off – certainly the announcement of PS4 Pro will help to facilitate development of further VR titles – but right now it succeeds in delivering VR experiences to those who can’t stretch to the requirements of Oculus or Vive.

PlayStation VR is available now for £349.99. All games require Playstation Camera and some may need PS3 Move Controllers.

E3 2016 shows – a brief recap of the Big 3

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By the time you read this, the main E3 2016 shows from the big three will be more-or-less over – and for the first time in a few years it seems like each of the hosts of these E3 2016 shows can rightfully feel happy about the quality of the conference (or Treehouse) they held. Since I don’t own every current-gen home console and/or handheld, the Sony conference held my interest more than the other E3 2016 shows… nevertheless, I like to watch all three to get an idea of what’s going on in gaming lately.

E3 2016 shows: Microsoft

E3 2016 shows

Microsoft had a lot of reasons to be happy in their conference – the first of the E3 2016 shows. Whilst rumours may be circulating about the Scorpio machine and other hardware revisions, they had a lot of interesting news about the games that owners of current Xbox hardware will be playing. Even when a lot of the cheers were for further instalments in old franchises such as Gears of War and Forza, those new instalments still looked impressive enough in their own right. (My best failed guess at a teaser also happened during this conference, when I thought that Tekken 7 would be Tekken X Street Fighter just because Akuma was in the footage.) Meanwhile, Hideki Kamiya was in his element in an environment where he could engage with the audience without worrying about them engaging back, but Scalebound still seemed a little sluggish next to Bayonetta 2, Transformers Devastation and other games in Platinum’s back catalogue (not to mention the forthcoming Nier Automata), so it remains to be seen whether this new game meets the expectations of Platinum’s fans.

E3 2016 shows: Sony

E3 2016 shows

Following this, the next of these E3 2016 shows was hosted by Sony, who had the thankless task of trying to follow-up the remarkable conference they held last year, but like Microsoft they showed a strong commitment to showcasing forthcoming games rather than talking about infrastructures, statistics or other media. Alongside franchise extensions and sequels (God of War, Final Fantasy) we saw more of Horizon: Zero Dawn, a new Quantic Dream game and a number of Playstation VR titles, as well as Kojima’s magnificent stage appearance and new footage from The Last Guardian. Some games such as Nier Automata, Gravity Rush 2 and Persona 5 were notably absent from the conference but new trailers for the former two games emerged outside of the conference and a new P5 reveal may have happened outside of the main conference by the time you read this (if it has, expect a seperate news update shortly.)

E3 2016 shows: Nintendo

E3 2016 shows

When browsing the schedules of the E3 2016 shows I was never in a massive hurry to watch Nintendo’s offering – I haven’t owned a Nintendo system since the original DS and I just don’t enjoy Zelda, Metroid, Smash Bros, Kid Icarus, Pilotwings etc – but they had Zelda, and Pokemon…and Zelda again. Even so, I can’t be too hard on Zelda; the series has gone on for so long and shifted in so many different directions that the Zelda franchise is pretty malleable and can more-or-less pretend to be other games – When reading news about the new Zelda – titled “Breath of the Wild” – I saw opinions online ranging from “Zelda Skyrim” to “Zelda Souls”. And if the game can deliver that kind of gameplay it might attract people who find “traditional” Zelda (whatever that is now) unappealing.

E3 2016 shows: exciting for everyone

I watched the main three E3 2016 shows with the intention of writing some brief general impressions here but I’m not about to provide in-depth speculation over any one title just yet. In short, everyone had various reasons to be excited about gaming’s future. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft all showed a lot of great games (and in some cases new technology) in their E3 2016 shows and the presenters were all entertaining and put on a good show. Maybe not everyone was happy with the conferences because their most-wanted game didn’t make an appearance, but there is still a lot to look forward to.

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