REVIEW / Shape of the World (PS4)

 

How many times have you had a rough day at work and just came home looking to escape real-life? That’s one of the biggest reasons we all love video games, right? We like the adventures we could never really go on, the badass moves we could never pull off, and the everyday possibility to be a hero. Life likes to knock us down, and this is our escape. But these virtual worlds are sometimes more stressful than the real one. This is where I introduce to you Shape of the World.

 

 

The problem with video games as a relaxation tool is that they’re not always relaxing. Take Overwatch for example; the community is filled with the biggest assholes, but I love the game, so I push myself through it on a nightly basis. I’m sure many other people could relate to that. Call of Duty, Fortnite, PUBG, and countless other games give us the adrenaline rush and good feelings that keep us crawling back. What if for one night though, you needed to relax and not think?

 

 

Shape of the World is not a complex game by any means. There is no story, no real gameplay hook, and no intense multiplayer showdown. According to developer Hollow Tree Games, “immersion, exploration and contemplation form the core of Shape of the World. This is a place to get lost in, a relaxing world for you to spend 1 to 3 hours meandering at your own pace, observing and unwinding.” In other words, it’s just you, some soothing music, and the evolving colorful world.

 

 

The game does what it set out to do, but maybe it does too good a job. I found myself struggling to stay awake through the hour I played. It’s a short game, but even that hour it took me to beat it was too long for the same walking around “gameplay” with a few sprinkles of interacting with stone columns to create a bridge to the next area. From what I gathered the only objective in the game is to constantly follow a path to all of the symbols which will change the color of the world and allow it to evolve further. There are a few collectibles, but nothing worth going out of your way to find. There is nothing hard about the game, save for trying to see through a dark, rainy, mountain area that gave me a migraine. Not very relaxing if it affects you like that.

 

 

In the end, Shape of the World is a very shallow experience. If you are looking for a world to walk around in with no choices to be made, this game is good for a few 15-minute intervals at most. Nothing is exciting about it. It is just a walkthrough a world that changes colors and grows trees. In my opinion, the game is overpriced at $15, so if you are interested, I would wait for it to go on sale. I like what they tried to do, but I feel there are much better artistic, relaxing games out there.

 

 

 

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.

The post REVIEW / Shape of the World (PS4) appeared first on That VideoGame Blog.

from That VideoGame Blog https://ift.tt/2KvKwQs

Tetsuya Nomura feels remake of Final Fantasy 7 announced too early

 

Myself and millions of other fans of the Final Fantasy franchise were undoubtedly disappointed when no new news on the Final Fantasy VII remake was revealed during this year’s E3. This was a big event for Square Enix this time around and the fact that they held their own livestream gave me hope that they would release at least a little somethin’ somethin’ to keep us satiated until the next tidbit of information. However, this sadly was not the case.

While no fresh news on the game ever materialized, we have gotten a confession of sorts from game director Tetsuya Nomura, revealing that he thinks the announcement Square Enix was embarking on a task that fans have literally been clamoring for over a decade was probably announced way too early. Given that the announcement was made in the first place, this admission doesn’t bode well for being able to play the game any time in the near future.

 

 

Speaking with the Italian website Multiplayer (via Kingdom Hearts Insider), in regards to the 2015 reveal, Nomura stated, “I am well aware of the fact that we announced it too early, but even in the industry, word was beginning to spread that we were working on the game, so we just decided not to keep it more secret and officially reveal it.”

I don’t want to sound like I am complaining, however, because the fact is we did get some admittedly good reveals during the livestream like a launch date for Nomura’s other even-longer-in-development project, Kingdom Hearts 3, which is slated for release on Jan. 29, 2019. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this probably means that the FFVII remake is definitely out of the concept stage and is being developed in tandem with KH3.

Keeping in the tradition of announcing their projects too early, Nomura also revealed that he thought that the KH3 announcement was made too early, as well. “Deciding when to announce your game to the public is always difficult,” he said. “In our case, we receive pressure from the fans even when we do not announce anything. … People are waiting for new information regardless of whether the game has been announced or not.”

If you have been keeping tabs, E3 2018 was the third straight E3 where Square Enix had nothing to show or say about the Final Fantasy 7 remake. Nomura admitted that he prefers to reveal games that he is working on before rumors or leaks upstage what he and his team are doing. He thinks that being transparent up front about the games that are in the works, as well as the challenges that the team is facing, is better for everyone, even if fans are left waiting for years to play said games.

The post Tetsuya Nomura feels remake of Final Fantasy 7 announced too early appeared first on That VideoGame Blog.

from That VideoGame Blog https://ift.tt/2txBlZs

Dig or Die set for July release

 

Survival horror … this is something that we’ve heard a lot. Those two little words were the cornerstone of an entire genre of blood-curdling scream-fests.  So let’s switch things up a bit. Survival strategy? Yeah, that sound a little bit different, right? Something that we haven’t seen anywhere near as much. If this is perking your interest, a new surival strategy game is about to hit Steam. See there had to be a tie-in there somewhere, right? The game is called Dig or Die and it’s going to be appearing on your PC screens on July 10th.

Dig or Die is actually a sandbox survival strategy (try saying that three times fast) game. Created by Gaddy Games, Dig or Die was inspired by other titles such as Terraria and Starbound but with a very particular focus being placed on the sandbox game genre. You will be taking the role of an employee of the space exploration agency CRAFT & Co.  Your latest contract has gone awry and left you stranded on a distant planet.

Your objective is to build your base and then in turn find enough resources to craft a spaceship and get off the world. This would be all well and good if the planet wasn’t populated by hordes of monsters who don’t particularly like random strangers crashing on their doorstep and want to eat you. As night falls, your will find yourself doing everything in your power to survive. This will include building defenses such as barricades and turrets in an attempt to turn the tide of angry creatures and maybe get away in one piece.

“Dig or Die has received an incredible feedback from the community since we launched the Early Access. It has now scored an average of 91% positive user reviews out of 2430 total, and has sold over a 160,000 units on Steam. I’m so grateful to all the early adopters. They have made my indie developer dream come true, and I am looking forward to hear back from the fans at launch on July 10th,” says Nicolas Gadenne, founder of Gaddy Games.

The Early Access version of the game currently has a multitude of assets. These include a dynamic combat system. The first point about this is that the devs are staying on topic. This is a sci-fi-themed game. This means battles with laser guns; not swords, magic or any other randomness. This is of course good as it all helps with authenticity. Secondly, you can proceed at your own pace and only fight stronger monsters when you’re ready. Not being mobbed by new stuff is always good but don’t expect this to be a walk in the park. Your foes have brains and will always seek the best way through your defenses. This being said … just because something is at your level (whatever that might be) doesn’t mean it’s going to be a repetitive, grindy cakewalk.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a Terraria-esque game and of course building is involved. The building mechanics, however, don’t require a Masters with Honours from Yale just to get a feel for what it’s like. You dig for minerals, harvest your ingredients and kill bosses to build better stuff, and this isn’t new. What is new is that your inventory is bottomless, the gathering process is quick and most importantly all of the recipes you’ve uncovered are displayed and easily viewed. This is a massively big deal. There’s nothing worse than having to have a wiki open all of the time just to build basic items.  While we’re still on the subject of building: your items are necessary. This is a heavily guarded fortress you’re building, not a resort for monsters. You won’t find a list of flowerpots and tapestries here. Items are things like turrets, which are, of course, important for survival.

Just as the finer details are important with building so too are they with the world. Your planet is procedurally generated and concentrates on real-time simulation of the environment and things like physics, water cycle and lighting. Plants also act as plants should in that if the right conditions are met, they grow and prosper. This means that you aren’t just randomly farming things but you’ll have to think about what you’re doing if you’re going to make the ecology work for you.

The release version will be taking everything I’ve just mentioned and adding three new modes including Under the Sea and Sky World. If you don’t want to start on terra firma, you don’t have to. You can play with the water-physics engine to your heart’s content having been started beneath the waves, or if that doesn’t float your boat, a world of flying islands might just do the trick. Random events are also being added including earthquakes, meteor showers, heat waves and more.

If you like building games this one looks very interesting, indeed. What I’m seeing is that this isn’t a title that’s trying to be complicated for complication’s sake. This is a case of the devil being in the detail. They’ve done the hardest part in making the world make sense. All you have to do is enjoy the fun of surviving and making that world your own. The fact that this is also a sandbox means that you aren’t being pressured into moving at a certain speed or forced to follow a certain set of overbearing rules. If you like this sort of game, Dig or Die might well be worth a punt come July.

The post Dig or Die set for July release appeared first on That VideoGame Blog.

from That VideoGame Blog https://ift.tt/2K8i9LZ

Sony announces PlayStation Hits: 15 great games at a great price

 

If you are looking for a great deal on videogames, Sony just made your job a lot easier. Back by popular demand, Sony has unveiled its new PlayStation Hits line-up of gaming’s most entertaining titles.

From award-winning epics to family friendly favorites, PlayStation Hits offers an awesome lineup of games for the low, low price of $19.99 USD (MSRP) each on PlayStation Store and select retailers across the U.S. if you prefer to have a physical copy.

In Canada, PlayStation Hits games will range in price, starting at $19.99 CAD (MSRP) each at participating retailers and PS Store.

So that you will be able to spot these awesome games at a glance, PlayStation Hits games will come in red packaging instead of the usual blue, and in the PS Store the games will have red banners that’ll make it easy for you to identify which games are part of the PlayStation Hits lineup.

 

 

The games in this line, which include PS4 exclusives such as Sucker Punch’s PS4 launch title Infamous: Second Son and titles like Sega’s fan favorite’s Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza 0, will be available for just $19.99 each starting June 28. In Canada, select titles will be available soon, so check out the Canadian PlayStation Hits page for details.

Here’s the full list of PlayStation Hits games that will debut next week in the U.S.:

• Battlefield 4
• Bloodborne
• Doom
• DriveClub
• Infamous: Second Son
• Killzone: Shadow Fall
• The Last of Us Remastered
• LittleBigPlanet 3
• Metal Gear Solid 5: The Definitive Experience
• Project CARS
• Ratchet & Clank
• Street Fighter 5
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
• Yakuza 0
• Yakuza Kiwami

Sony says that they will continue to add to the PlayStation Hits lineup on a regular basis, so check out the PlayStation website to keep up to date with the latest releases. What games do you want Sony to add to the PlayStation Hits line?

The post Sony announces PlayStation Hits: 15 great games at a great price appeared first on That VideoGame Blog.

from That VideoGame Blog https://ift.tt/2I584cY

Rise of Insanity – Scare yourself silly on Xbox One

 

If you’re a fan of Silent Hill, you’ll love Rise of Insanity. It’s a first-person horror experience that leans heavily on the genre’s most gut-wrenching offerings; drawing from The Shining and The Exorcist, you’ll be diving head-first down a rabbit hole of mental disturbance. Red Limb Studios are the team behind the scares, and they are proud to announce that their game is now available on the Xbox One. Here’s a suitably chilling trailer for you to enjoy:

According to Krzysztof Sopata of (Red Limb Studio fame), Rise of Insanity looks to “represent mental illness in some original ways.” The player will step into the shoes of Dr Stephen Dowell, a psychologist whose latest patient is exhibiting some worryingly contradictory symptoms. The doctor’s murky personal life will become clearer the further you slip into the dark corridors of the asylum, as will the relevance of the psychological anomaly in the chair. Oh, and judging by the screenshots, it seems as though we’re visiting 1970s America.

Puzzle solving will play a central role, as will keeping your wits about you; the game is VR ready, and as such will make you jump on a frustratingly regular basis. Rise of Insanity‘s trailer shows off some hellish dreamscapes and grounded dialogue, subtly hinting at professional voice-work and (mostly) decent graphics. Since I’m a massive pansy, however, it is unlikely that I’ll ever be able to experience these technical milestones first-hand.

With a very positive rating on Steam, Rise of Insanity looks as though it offers a simple, visceral horror experience. As a result, I’ll be steering well clear; if horror is your cup of tea, however, Rise of Insanity is out now (without VR support) on Xbox One. If you’re the kind of lunatic who enjoys being terrified in virtual reality, the game has been out on Steam for a few months now: it costs GBP £7.19, and the store page is right here. There are plans for a Switch release in Q3 2018, and a PS4 one at some point after that.

 

 

The post Rise of Insanity – Scare yourself silly on Xbox One appeared first on That VideoGame Blog.

from That VideoGame Blog https://ift.tt/2M63RYX

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice set for 2019

 

Cringe-worthy gory deaths. The inability to survive for more than five seconds. Being eaten by something twice your size or told to “Git Good” by a masochistic crowd of elitist players. Are any of these things ringing a bell and connecting to a certain set of unforgiving, nightmarishly difficult games? Oh they are? Good. We’re on the same page when I’m telling you that our old mates of FromSoftware are bringing us something new next year. Is this going to be another kick to the nads for every half decent gamer out there? We certainly hope so. The game in question is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. This new story from Fromsoftware who are in partnership with Activision is set for early next year.

As is evidenced by the very Japanese sounding name, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is set in the era of 1500s Sengoku Japan. This is a nice, bloody, brutal period to be sending us to and as such we are being launched into a tale of life and death conflict. In the game’s single-player mode, you will take on the role of a hard-hearted warrior in your quest to save your master, a young lord, and exact harsh revenge on your arch nemesis. As Sekiro or The one-armed wolf you will experience many ways to strategically approach conflict and deal with your enemies.

“Collaborating with Activision on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has been a very exciting experience for us,” said Hidetaka Miyazaki, president and game designer at FromSoftware. “With Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice many FromSoftware team members, including myself, are thrilled to be exploring themes of Sengoku Japan and ninja for the first time. We can’t wait for everyone to discover what’s in store for the game.”

Fans of FromSoftware’s previous works will find familiarity in this third person action title with RPG elements. This is a game where combat reigns supreme and players will enjoy combining new features such as vertical traversal, with visceral head-to-head battle to fulfill their destiny in a vast world filled with beautiful vistas, enormous castles, bizarre weaponry and fearsome enemies.

“From Dark Souls to Bloodborne, FromSoftware has established a level of excellence that stands by itself in our industry, and we are increadibly honored to work with them in bringing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to fans worldwide,” said Steve Young, Chief Revenue Officer at Activision. “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will not only add a new and exciting genre to Activision’s portfolio, but will also give players and experience that’s unlike any other FromSoftware game to date.”

For those of you interested in this new title, you’ll be able to get your hands on a copy towards the beginning of 2019 for the family of Xbox One devices (including the Xbox One X), PS4, PS4 Pro and of course PC via Steam. Those of you that can’t wait and need to get your orders in now absolutely can. Pre-orders are available from selected retailers at the suggested price of $59.99.

So there you have it. FromSoftware are doing something new. I don’t by any means think this is a departure from what we have grown to know and love about this company. I very much doubt they will be dropping the difficulty curve as this is something that has made them absolutely legendary. It’s just going to be ninjas and Japanese monstrosities stomping your teeth in instead of hideous mutant nightmares. I haven’t actually played the Souls series; not because I don’t like it, but because I have far more fun watching other people prevail righteously or getting absolutely massacred. This being said, I might have to break that little promise to myself and give this one a go. If you’re very much like me, maybe it would be worth you considering doing the same.

The post Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice set for 2019 appeared first on That VideoGame Blog.

from That VideoGame Blog https://ift.tt/2K39sSe

Last of Us II kiss scene shows epic graphics by Naughty Dog

 

Intimate Emotions By Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog has done it again, people. Although game graphics continue to improve, depicting intimacy in a human has still been a barrier for many developers. More often than not, when things get steamy, it tends to miss emotions and look very static. But in the new trailer for The Last of Us Part II, Naughty Dog delivered a master class in intimate interaction and animation. The most amazing thing was how much attention the studio put into the smallest elements. Watch the 11 minute gameplay trailer below!

 

 

New Gameplay Trailer Analysis

In the early moments of the new trailer, take a look at Ellie’s facial expressions. Notice the way her eyebrows raise and lower, bites her lips, how small strands of her hair sway with no forced flow. It’s even more captivating for the ways she isn’t sculpted perfectly; her face is slightly dirty with a light perspiration forming, and her hair is slightly matted and frizzy, just like anyone’s hair would be in a crowded area with people dancing.

Look deep at how each character looks at each other; it’s almost as if there’s a real human being acting out these scenes in a movie, not just pixels. Then, when Ellie and the woman (Dana) kiss, look at the way Ellie’s lips pucker hesitantly and then lock with the other woman. The shock is present, then followed with the craning of their necks and a full kiss ensues.

Fans of the series are revving at what a remarkable thing Naughty Dog has done to capture something so astounding. These minor details are easy to miss at first glance because they are so natural to us in real life; they look the way people are suppose to look in these moments – awkward and slightly excited for what’s to come. Many games are still trying to figure out how to make these emotions happen within pixels, but when it happens the player creates an instant connection to the character.

Behind The Scenes

Turns out, making a scene this good required a ton of work. During E3, Director of the game, Neil Druckmann, explained that the studio could only shoot eight people at a single time. This particular kiss scene was shot over the span of 8 days. To capture Ellie’s deep expressions, Druckmann said that Naughty Dog developed more advanced facial capture. Check out the video panel below from E3 to learn more about the behind the scenes!

 

The post Last of Us II kiss scene shows epic graphics by Naughty Dog appeared first on That VideoGame Blog.

from That VideoGame Blog https://ift.tt/2JHyQ0u