Category: Written


For the first time in Assassin’s Creed history, the heroes of the story will use contemporary firearms when taking the fight to the Templars. Sure, guns have been in Assassin’s Creed for several games, but all those previous weapons were slow-loading, single-shot muskets or flintlocks. Now, six-shot revolvers allow new protagonists Jacob and Evie Frye the chance to remove multiple targets quickly from afar. The closest players have ever gotten to anything like this was when Edward Kenway would carry four single-shot pistols on his person, and that was after fishing and hunting all day in the Caribbean to earn the necessary holster upgrades.

Just because Jacob and Evie can use guns, though, doesn’t mean they should. I found during my demo of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate that while I was often strongly tempted to pull out the revolver, it best to use it only in dire situations. There is nothing stealthy about a gun. Using one to eliminate a target, no matter how high-ranking or difficult they may be, immediately draws the attention of dozens of enemy guards, police or rival gang members and turns a manageable situation into an unmanageable one.

This is why Jacob and Evie remain extremely well-equipped for removing their targets from the field with an up close and personal flair. The first, and likely most obvious, weapon is the legendary hidden blade of the Assassin Order. Stabbing people from haystacks, from behind corners or after leaping from a rooftop are still the best and often stealthiest ways to get a job done. With players once again being able to whistle to draw unsuspecting enemies to a blind corner, leap from moving vehicles such as carriages or drop from a zipline created by the new rope launcher, the hidden blade has never been more effective than in Syndicate.

But that’s far from the only tool you’ll be able to use. It’s easy to conceal the Kukri — a small, sharp, curved blade of Indian origin — within one’s coat pocket; it’s great for giving you a bit more reach when needed and for defending yourself against knife-wielding thugs. Brass knuckles are also a classic choice for when you don’t want to kill your enemy, whether it be for interrogation or to send a special message back to the Templars. Instead, you can put them down for the count more quickly and definitely more brutally, than with your fists. Finally, the Cane Sword may be the most devious trick in the Fryes’ book since its sharpened, curved end can hook into enemies, while the bottom detaches to reveal another lethal blade in its shaft.

So, while the change in times has provided a new context for many of Syndicate’s weapons, stealth is always your best option and sometimes old-school strategies trump new-school technology. After all, what kind of an assassin would you be if everyone heard you coming?

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is coming out on Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC on Oct. 23.

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare was nothing short of a surprise hit. Turning the ever-popular Plants vs Zombies into a third-person shooter was risky at best, and downright insane at worst. But the folks at PopCap take pride in their willingness to push their supremely popular franchise in different directions and see what will take root with their growing fanbase. So, when it came time to decide what to do next, they decided to turn things on their ear again and make the Plants the bad guys.

That’s right, in Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, the Zombies are on the defensive. After the events of the first Garden Warfare, the Zombies have successfully conquered Suburbia, renamed it Zomburbia, and set about making it a perfect little paradise where they can munch on brains all day long. The Plants may be down, but they are far from out, so they’ve enlisted the aid of new allies to take the fight back to the Zombies and reclaim their beloved home soil.

While this may not change much about modes such as Team Vanquish (PvZ’s version of Team Deathmatch), it completely reverses modes like Gardens and Graveyards. With Zombies on the defensive and trying to protect capture points, you’ll need to figure out new strategies with your favorite classes from the last game to be effective as a Plant or a Zombie. Also, because you play this four-player co-op version of Horde mode from the perspective of the Zombies versus AI-controlled Plants, Garden Ops has been renamed Graveyard Ops.

Besides the change in viewpoints, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is bigger than its predecessor in every way imaginable. The game will ship with more maps at launch, all of which are brand new. Zomboss has tried his best to mold Suburbia in his own image, changing the entire world’s landscape. In our short time with the game, the we played a multi-tiered level that featured Zomboss Zombie’s making a factory, a clear tactical target for the Plants to attack.

The game also offers new classes, including some inspired by the time-traveling aspects of the mobile Plants vs Zombies 2. Plants from the future have come back to quell the threat of Zombie-piloted mech suits, and Zombie pirate captains enter the fray as surprisingly effective snipers. A Zombie superhero specializes in melee and shooting laser beams from his eyes.

So, if you were a fan of the first Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, its sequel looks ready to deliver a deeper, over-the-top experience in the same vein that has made Plants vs Zombies such a huge hit.

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 will launch in the spring of 2016 for Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC.

When I play Madden, I dominate in the trenches. My defense makes sacks on every other play, and it’s not unheard of for my offense to rush for 2,500 yards and 40 TDs.

My aerial attack is another story, though. I’m lucky to throw for 2,000 yards and have a 1:1 TD/INT ratio. I’m more likely to hit the lottery than to have one of my DBs intercept a pass. It’s been this way for years,  whether I’m playing Madden 95 or Madden NFL 15.

This year, however, Madden is looking to make things easier for players like me to take advantage of superstar wide receivers and ball-hawking cornerbacks with new playmaker options. As soon as the quarterback lets go of the ball, there are more nuances than ever to how much touch or zip you can put behind the ball. Whereas in previous years, you’d either fire a bullet pass or lob a lame duck, depending on how you held the button, an in-between pass offers a chance to hit smaller windows of opportunity, as Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning do every Sunday.

Once the ball is in the air, the possibilities get really exciting. Your receivers can catch the ball differently, depending on how it’s thrown and their own attributes. A receiver like Calvin Johnson can leap up for a ball at its zenith; take a chance, turn and run before the ball reaches its target location; or use his tremendous size to jockey positions with a corner to make a sure-handed grab, all depending on which second button you press after your quarterback lets go of the ball.

Similarly, though, defensive backs offer comparable options. Shutdown corners like Richard Sherman can now more aggressively jam receivers off the line, much the same way a defensive player could try to jump the snap in last year’s game. DBs can also choose to jump routes, or leap for a ball with hopes of coming down with a momentum-swinging interception.

Admittedly, I needed some time to become comfortable with making an extra button press while the ball was in the air. After just a few blunders, I made my first interception on a flat route, and a spectacular catch in the back of the endzone on a jump ball. If I’m able to pull this off consistently, get a better feel for when to make each particular move, and learn what I can do with each receiver, this feature can be a game-changer for guys like me. I’ll need more than the one Madden NFL 16 game than I got to play in my demo, though, and a couple of possible flash-in-the-pan plays to see if Playmaker is all it’s being made out to be.

Madden NFL 16 will launch on Xbox One, Playstation 4, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on August 25.

If you’re a hockey fanatic like I am, you don’t need someone, especially a video game, explaining to you why a slapper from the point on the power play is a great idea if you’ve got bodies in front of the net looking for a deflection. If you’re not a hockey connoisseur, however, even that sentence probably has you scratching your head.

Well, the guys behind the NHL franchise get that not everyone is as obsessed with power play percentages and puck luck as I am. To be honest, I wasn’t always this way. Video games such as NHL 94 sparked my passion for — and understanding of — my most beloved sport.

Wanting to get back to that pedigree, NHL 16’s biggest innovation this year isn’t about tweaked physics or mascots in the stands (although those are there). It’s about finding ways to help newcomers develop an understanding for the sport we love, much the way the games of yesteryear did for a 9-year-old kid who didn’t understand quite how big it was when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994.

A new option in NHL 16 allows gamers to turn on a special HUD that appears beneath each player you’re controlling and certain spots on the ice. This HUD will tell you when you should pass and who the pass will go to, and where you should skate to if you don’t have the puck. Most impressively, the HUD will draw a line from your stick to the net if you’re in a shooting situation to let you know your odds on whether the shot will result in a goal or a save, or miss the net altogether. And it all happens seamlessly in real time.

This display system is a vital new tool in NHL 16’s attempts to teach players how best to play their game, as well as how to play hockey. The hope is that you’ll learn the highest percentage chances for scoring in key situations, where to skate to successfully kill off penalties, and how to most efficiently play the game. Then, newcomers will have a better grasp of both hockey and the video game, and perhaps learn to love it. Who knows, we veterans might even learn a thing or two.

Even though I’ve been playing NHL for years, I was impressed with how well the new HUD assist blended into the gameplay. I never felt like the directions were a distraction for me as an experienced player. I was even happy they were there because I was more sure of myself when taking certain shots, and I started correcting some bad habits I’d fallen into through the years.

This year, most people would’ve been fine with NHL just fixing things that were broken or restoring everything that was missing from last year’s game. So it’s great to see EA Canada’s innovations educate and grow not only the company’s fanbase, but the sport’s fanbase as well. 

NHL 16 is coming in September for Xbox One and Playstation 4.

The Just Cause series has always tried its best to make getting around in its world just as fun as blowing it up. Rico’s iconic grappling hook allows him to get to places cars and copters can’t easily reach. Using the parachute with the hook lets you gain altitude while covering distance. At the same time, the combination makes Rico a harder target to hit and gives him a unique angle from which he can take out his enemies.

The new wingsuit adds a new wrinkle to how Rico will get around in his home country of Medici. Once Rico reaches certain heights, whether using the parachute or via the numerous flying vehicles in the game, the wingsuit allows Rico to get to almost anywhere on the island quickly  without losing elevation. In some ways, I’m reminded of how Batman gets around in the Arkham games; Rico can dive at great speeds, then pull up at the last instance to increase his time and speed. However, Rico can go farther than Batman can in the Arkham games. Here, it’s closer to actually being able to fly without a vehicle.

The speed and ease with which you can use the wingsuit to get around, though, would’ve made the parachute almost useless. So the parachute and how it works has been completely revamped. While you can still use the parachute to gain some height, it also slows Rico’s descent.

With these new tools, Rico can pull his chute above an area he wants to infiltrate or blow up, tether his grappling hook to the ground and slowly circle above his targets. During my time playing the game, I tried this technique while staging a prison break on top of one of Medici’s hills. Rico lost only minimal height while I shot at the guards and every red cylinder I could see, causing as much chaos and havoc as possible. The parachute slowed by descent so much that I  almost become a mid-air mobile weapons platform. I happily had the height advantage, but didn’t have to worry about losing it until enemy choppers scrambled, at least.

These movement options and changes are just a sample of what designers have done with Just Cause 3. They want to give players as much freedom as possible in Avalanche Studios’ sandbox, all in the name of causing as much destruction as possible. During my extended hands-on, flying through the air and firing rockets at enemies never got old. I can’t wait to do it all again when the game hits store shelves.

Just Cause 3 will drop December 1 for Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC.

Starbreeze Studios may have had one of the more shocking announcements of E3 2015, and it happened before the show even officially started!

As part of a pre-E3 preview event, the developer behind the Payday series, the Syndicate reboot, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and many other games unveiled their brand new virtual reality headset called StarVR yesterday evening.

Being the resident EGM VR junkie, I was fortunate enough after the announcement to be the first person in the world outside of the studio to actually go hands-on (head-on?) with this new piece of hardware.

The demo we were given was based on Overkill’s The Walking Dead, which was also announced to be the first game for StarVR. It was explicitly stated, however, that the demo we played would not be part of the final game, but instead would convey a feel for the title, while more importantly, showing off what the headset could do.

In the demo, I was a recently infected person who was on his last legs. The pair of people I had been traveling with did not want to leave me behind, or at least not until they could get my car and some supplies from me. So, they strapped me into a wheelchair and gave me a shotgun. As they pushed me through the halls of a hospital, I would have to cover them. It was an absolutely beautiful looking rail-shooter experience, but I felt it was a tad too heavily scripted for my tastes. At the very least, though, it gave me a solid sense of what StarVR was all about as it really let me put the headset through its paces.

Starbreeze global brand director Almir Listo stated beforehand that the StarVR headset provides a 210-degree horizontal field-of-view, which is easily the largest of any VR headset revealed to date when you look at the 120-degrees of Microsoft’s Hololens, the 110-degrees offered with Oculus’s Crescent Bay and Valve’s ReVive, or Morpheus’ 100-degrees. I can confirm that in my experience, StarVR provides more peripheral vision than any headset I’ve tried (just Hololens eludes me at this point), and only when I looked to the extreme right or left could I see the very edges of the displays.

Speaking of display, StarVR touts a 5K resolution due to dual 5.5-inch screens. The picture for The Walking Dead was crisp, clear, and had no framerate drops, but I can’t definitively say it was better or worse than the others without putting them side-by-side. StarVR also features orientation and positional tracking, so every time I moved my head around during the demo, my character in game would do the same.

This was critical because at this moment, StarVR lacks more traditional input devices so at least moving my head around gave me a sense of being in the world until I finally received my shotgun. In regards to controllers, Starbreeze CTO Emmanuel Marquez admitted they were still working on them, and were keeping an eye on what other companies in the VR marketplace, like Valve, do in that regard. It was also mentioned that they would love to be compatible with a wide array of devices, including those of their own design like the prop shotgun I was able to play around with and that was featured in the above video.

The idea that Starbreeze could come out with a special line of prop weapons for shooters like The Walking Dead is intriguing, and it’d be far from the first time we had large plastic guns in our hands to play games with. The prop shotgun, even with some sensors attached to it, felt like a real gun (minus the lack of kickback). Every time I did the pump-action, it responded in game. I could fire blindly behind me as we ran down an alley, or I could look down the sights to make sure I put each and every zombie down with a single shot. I’m just concerned how much it would cost to package extra sensors and a large toy shotgun with every copy of Overkill’s The Walking Dead. And what about other weapons? It was an interesting idea, and having a prop in my hands helped with immersion, but I honestly don’t know if it’s completely sound to think every gamer would collect prop weapons to play VR games with.

In terms of plug-ins, StarVR features a USB 3.0 port and a 3.5mm headphone jack so players can use their own headphones for comfort and ease. Of course, unlike Oculus with their built in headphones, this means that, for the moment, positional audio is not a part of StarVR and was noticeably absent from the demo I played.

A nice surprise from Starbreeze’s headset, though, came in how comfortable it felt on my head. While it’s a bit bulkier and larger than an Oculus Rift in terms of shape and size, it felt about the same in terms of weight and the cushions on the inside really kept it from feeling like it was pressing into my head at all. I actually think it may be my favorite headset so far when it comes to just how it feels on top of my head. It should be mentioned, however, that the headset was tethered to a nearby PC, but I was told wireless functionality is on the docket for future versions of the StarVR.

No potential release date or price point was set for StarVR during the event. Lionel Anton, Starbreeze’s lead VR hardware designer, said that what I got to go hands-on with was “a first prototype”, leading me to believe that, along with everything I saw yesterday, that Starbreeze is still some ways off from being ready to stand toe-to-toe with Oculus or Sony. They certainly seem to be on the right track, though. Expect more info and insights about StarVR this week at E3, where it’ll be fully on display.

The Strong National Museum of Play has announced the 2015 class for the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

The six games to make the cut were DOOM, Pac-Man, Pong, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft.

The Strong Museum, located in Rochester, New York, is well known for its International Center for the History of Electronic Games and already houses the National Toy Hall of Fame.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame was designed to “recognize individual electronic games of all types—arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile—that have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general,” said a press release from The Strong.

Games were picked based on four key criteria: icon-status, longevity, geographical reach, and influence. The six that make up the inaugural class were chosen from a field of 15, and were chosen by a committee of journalists, scholars, and individuals familiar with video game history. The games that were not inducted this year were Angry Birds, FIFA, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, The Oregon Trail, Pokémon, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders.

This year’s winners will be on permanent display at the museum’s eGameRevolution exhibit and nominations for the class of 2016 are now being accepted through March 31, 2016.

You can now have the first new Star Wars arcade game in years in your home if you can pony up the cash.

Bandai Namco has announced that the new Star Wars Battle Pod arcade game is available for private purchase in Japan, Europe, and the US, with the US version costing $35,000. And for those who truly have more money than they know what to do with, there’s also a premium version of the Battle Pod going for $100,000.

The premium version of the enclosed cabinet is inspired by the Rebel Alliance and Darth Vader (your choice of either or) and will come with a special numbered and engraved plaque with your name on it, a bound instruction manual for the game, and even your name placed in the credits of your personal pod. The inside of the pod will also feature carpeting and a leather chair.

I was able to go hands-on with the Battle Pod at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim this year and while it was fun playing through some classic Star Wars space battles, I could think of a lot of other things I’d rather spend $35k on.

If, like me, you’d rather just try the game out for a dollar or two, you can try finding one at a local arcade that might house it, but with America’s dying arcade culture, that might be harder than it sounds since the game is currently only found in 33 of the 50 states. To see if you’re one of the lucky ones with a nearby pod waiting to be played, check out the Star Wars Battle Pod website.

Let sleeping dragons lie

Puzzle & Dragons is nothing short of a phenomenon in Japan. Even legendary Nintendo creative mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto admitted he was playing it when I spoke with him back at E3 2013. And if I were a smarter man, I might’ve been able to predict that Nintendo would ultimately bring Puzzle & Dragons to the 3DS.

My poor cognitive function aside, when Nintendo finally did make the announcement, I think most were still surprised that not only would Puzzle & Dragons Z be coming to the 3DS, but it’d be bundled with a Super Mario Bros.–inspired version to boot. I admit I was particularly intrigued—especially because I’m a sucker for anything that features Mario (I even own Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix for the GameCube). I absolutely had to see what’s captivated so much of Japan—and also whether Mario could transition into the world of match-three games.

Puzzle & Dragons Z plays out just like its mobile counterpart. You take on the role of a coming-of-age teen (and have the choice to be male or female) who’s decided to join a national peacekeeping force. When a terrorist organization called Paradox upsets the delicate balance of the world’s key elements (fire, water, wood, dark, and light), you’re tasked with piecing back together your crumbling world by traveling to temples dedicated to each respective element and restoring order. Along the way, you receive eggs that can instantly hatch back at the home base; you then train these beasts to become part of a six-monster party that fights on your behalf. Members of the party then attack when you match special orbs of power into rows of three or more that correspond to the creature’s color-oriented type.

The Super Mario Bros. Edition of Puzzle & Dragons utilizes similar gameplay but stays true to the Super Mario Bros. formula: Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, and Mario must traverse eight worlds in order to get her back—with the first seven guarded by Bowser’s trusted Koopalings. The difference here is that Mario and the gang can add members of the Koopa Troop (including Goombas, Bloopers, and Giant Hammer Bros., among others) much in the same way you acquire eggs in Puzzle & Dragons Z. Both games also have a basic RPG-inspired leveling system where the creatures in your party grow stronger the more they fight.

Unfortunately, while this 2-in-1 bundle removes the original’s free-to-play microtransactions, it doesn’t really add anything to the experience, either—and Super Mario Bros. Edition feels like a cheap reskin. After only a few worlds of each game, I found myself utterly bored by the entire thing.

Sure, gathering monsters and leveling them up is an addictive proposition that’s been a cornerstone of collect-em-all RPGs like Pokémon, and there’s a hint of that in both of these titles. Puzzle & Dragons Z even adds a town where players can speak with NPCs and receive items and side challenges—but these folks are about as interesting as the Toads who populate the Mario Bros. games.

After playing a match-three game for any substantial amount of time, you start to realize that, far too often, the game revolves around luck. The best entries in the genre, however, find ways to hide this with an interesting story, stronger RPG elements, or even the aforementioned microtransactions, which surprisingly enough can act as a boon in this case since they either force you to walk away after a short period of time or inspire a gambling-style rush if you put extra money on the line, helping keeping boredom at bay (even if in the worst way possible). Neither of the games in this bundle have any of those properties, though, and so monotony quickly sets in.

Worst of all? The tedium comes before you even get fully invested in either adventure. The difficulty between a board with four different-colored orbs and one with six is monumental, since there are ever only 30 orbs on the screen at once, which is far less than most other match-three games. After only a few tutorial battles, you’re thrown right into the six-color-orb conflicts, rarely to ever return to four or five. Since harder monsters have more HP, you’ll find yourself praying each time you clear a row that the right orbs will fall into place, like a gambler futilely hoping for 7s to lock in on his slot machine.

As much as I love puzzle games and Mario crossovers, Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition is a disappointment on every front. It’s not inherently broken in any way; it’s just painstakingly dull. Puzzle & Dragons borrows so liberally from so many other franchises that when you peel back the layers, it leaves nothing but a half-baked match-three game at its core—and Super Mario Bros. Edition is simply one more layer trying to bolster the illusion that this is an interesting game. It’s not.

Developer: GungHo • Publisher: Nintendo • ESRB: E – Everyone • Release Date: 05.22.15
4.5
A bundle that embodies the worst grinding elements of popular RPGs with a lackluster match-three gameplay mechanic. This version of Puzzle & Dragons tries to use the gold standard that Super Mario Bros. represents in order to bolster the façade that this is an interesting, worthwhile gaming experience. It’s not.
The Good The addictive Pokémon-like nature of collecting and leveling up creatures to fight for you.
The Bad Progress is slow and grinding and nothing about the gameplay hides this fact.
The Ugly I think the reason why Japan loves this franchise so much is they have a gambling problem. It’s time for an intervention.
Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition  is a 3DS exclusive. Review code was provided by Nintendo for the benefit of this review.

2K announced this morning that NBA 2K16 would release on September 29 this year to the masses, but fans who pre-order the game can get it four days early.

Dubbed the “Early Tip-Off Weekend” by 2K, fans that pre-order the game from participating retailers will receive the game on September 25 instead of on the street date.

Along with the game, folks who pre-order NBA 2K16 will receive 10,000 virtual currency and a MyTEAM VIP package. This includes a Gold Booster Pack for last-gen players, and three Emerald Packs for new-gen and PC players.

It was recently announced that NBA 2K16 would boast three different covers, each with a different athlete this year. The cover athletes chosen were reigning MVP Stephen Curry, MVP runner-up James Harden, and last year’s cover athlete Kevin Durant. Whether or not players will get a particular athlete on the cover should they pre-order is unknown at this time.

NBA 2K16 will be available on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.