Mark S Taylor

Dragon’s Prophet celebrates one-year anniversary and opens new raid instance

One of the most successful fantasy MMORPG is now celebrating its one-year anniversary, and is inviting all gamers and fans from the […]

Mario kart 8 Characters: The List
To celebrate the upcoming release of Mario Kart 8, I decided to put together a ‘definitive’ ranking of the Playable Mario kart 8 Characters. This list will consider the significance of a character, their role in the Mario series and above all, my personal preference.

Feel free to disagree, just let me know in the comments which you agree with and which you think I’m completely wrong about!
MII (N/A)
I’ve left the Mii out of this list, just because they haven’t got a story at all. But obviously, if it was based on my personal Mii, this would shoot right up to Number 1…

THE KOOPALINGS (LARRY, MORTON, WENDY, IGGY, ROY, LEMMY AND LUDWIG) (23)
The first of many new introductions to the series on this list, the Koopalings are technically 7 separate characters, but it felt easier to treat them as one.

Primarily known as Bowser’s henchmen, the Koopalings haven’t really been given much of a starring role themselves at any point, and are more often just fodder for Mario to defeat on his way to Bowser. Until there’s a bit more definition between them, and they start to show a bit more capability, it’s hard to move these from the bottom of the pile!
METAL MARIO (22)
Metal Mario is a strange addition to the Mario franchise, serving most often as a difficult boss or final opponent in Mario sports games or the Super Smash Bros. series.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t really have much of an explanation or reason for being around, so it’s difficult to really root for him.

 
PINK GOLD PEACH (21)
The ultimate proof that Metal people need love too! Introduced as a spin-off from the Metal Mario character,

Pink Gold Peach gets a better ranking simply for being a new character: that’s always more exciting.

 
LAKITU (20)
Lakitus are most often relegated to boring jobs like umpire and filming Mario’s adventures, but Mario Kart 7 finally saw a Lakitu get its chance for glory as a playable character. It’s a big step for Lakitu, a character with not much of a role normally, and much less iconic than a lot of the other Mario characters.

Perhaps a few more appearances as playable characters will turn that all around!

BABY LUIGI, MARIO, PEACH, DAISY (16-19)  

Because they’re all basically the exact same, I’m going to deal with these babies altogether. They are cute, and I’ll be honest, I spend a good amount of my time on Mario Kart playing as these, but as far as the characters go, they just don’t have one.

In the nicest way, the babies just feel like a way to make up the numbers, even if they’re actually quite talented racers.

 
TOADETTE (15)
Toadette suffers from a regular curse in the Mario series: she seems to have been introduced just to give a partner to another character, and apart from that, she’s not really contributed much.

But still, every Toad has to have someone to love them.

 
BABY ROSALINA (14)
Baby Rosalina has a bit more intrigue than the other babies, just because she’s new and probably one of the cutest.

She does fall to the curse of the babies though: they’re really just a bit pointless as characters and genuinely just seem there to make up the numbers!

 
WALUIGI (13)
A distorted, evil version of Luigi, Waluigi was first introduced in Mario Tennis, and has since been portrayed as the brains to Wario’s brawn.

Despite this, Waluigi has never really had a massive role in any game, except for Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix: not the most serious of Mario games.

 
DAISY (12)
Essentially Peach Version 2.0, Daisy seems to have been introduced just to give Luigi his own princess to match Mario and Peach.

She’s appeared in a huge number of Mario games since her inception, and has even managed to appear as a regular character in the Super Smash Bros. games, but she’s never really been as interesting as many of the other characters.

She’s always come second to Peach, and has never really had much of a role, which explains why she falls a bit lower down in this list.
WARIO (11)
A bit of an odd-ball character, it’s safe to say Wario is one of the more unusual villains. Designed to be the perfect opposite of Mario, Wario’s name comes from a combination of the Italian plumber’s and the Japanese word for ‘bad’.

Wario has managed to do quite well for himself, achieving his own games such as the WarioWare and Wario Land series, but he’s never really achieved the iconic status of some of Mario’s other enemies.

 
KOOPA TROOPA (10)
The original source of the iconic Mario shell, the Koopa Troopas originally appeared as Bowser’s henchmen, but since then they’ve enjoyed a more random relationship with Mario, sometimes serving as enemies and sometimes as allies.

Along with the Goombas, the Koopa Troopa are probably the most recognisable and widely-known enemies of Mario, and he’s quickly wormed his way to player character status in quite a few recent titles, including Mario Golf and previous Mario Kart games.

Iconic, quirky and the source of the unforgettable shell, Koopa Troopa deserves the increasing prominence it’s getting!

 
ROSALINA (9)
One of the newest editions to the Mario family, Rosalina first appeared in Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii in 2007, but she’s quickly become very popular. Since her first appearance she’s appeared in 9 games and was recently selected to make her debut in the Super Smash Bros. series later this year!

Rosalina was one of my most common choices for Mario Kart Wii, where she was a ‘large’ character with huge speed, but poor handling: almost the polar opposite of her new ‘Baby Rosalina’ counterpart!

SHY GUY (8)
Shy Guy is probably one of the cutest and most likeable villains in the Mario games. Having appeared in countless Mario games as a NPC or enemy, fans were thrilled when Shy Guy was originally announced for Mario Kart 7.

Though he’s loveable and one of the iconic Mario characters, he’s just never really had enough story or character about him to really make him take off as some of the other characters have, but he’s been around for years now, and he’s just too cute to insult!

 
TOAD (7)
For a long time an unsung hero in the Mario games, Toad only recently started to appear as a playable character in video games, having been relegated to NPC, assistance roles in the past.

Perhaps the most likeable and cheerful of Mario characters, it’s hard to hold anything against Toad, and it’s great to see him finally gaining more and more of a role in the series, and a sibling/love interest/best friend (no one really knows) to match!

In Mario Kart, he’s got all-round average stats, making him good for any player type, and his cool Kart designs are always a nice little extra.

 
PEACH (6)
Along with Mario, Peach is one of the most established Mario characters, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Despite being iconic, Peach just spends most of her time waiting to be saved by Mario. I mean, you’d think she’d have found some defence against Bowser by now. As close to a love interest as possible for such a child-friendly game, Peach and Mario have enjoyed a long-lasting relationship (if that’s what you can call her being repeatedly saved by him), and in Mario Kart they usually boast similar stats.

A firm favourite with many female Mario Kart players, but a little bit too helpless throughout the rest of the Mario series to really establish herself as one of the best characters.

 
DONKEY KONG (5)
Donkey Kong hovers on the border between ally and enemy of Mario. Originally introduced in the arcade game, Donkey Kong in 1981, he’s been the opponent of Mario at numerous points since then.

Despite his intimidating appearance and tendency to try and kill Mario every now and then, Donkey Kong is actually immensely popular and serves as something of a mascot for Nintendo, though he still lags behind a few of Nintendo’s more iconic characters.

 
LUIGI (4)
Luigi suffers from a huge case of sidekick syndrome. He’s essentially the exact same as Mario. Heck, he’s even taller. He’s just never quite got the same level of hype and adoration as his red-wearing brother.

Nintendo has recently tried to show Luigi some love with the ‘Year of Luigi’ to celebrate 30 years since Luigi’s first appearance. Luigi’s Mansion 2, Dr. Luigi and New Super Luigi U all tried their best to bring Luigi level with Mario, but I think Luigi’s going to forever just be Mario’s greener brother.

 
BOWSER (3)
Aside from Mario, Bowser is arguably the most recognisable character from the series (even though I’m sure a lot of people will disagree!) Mario’s eternal nemesis, you can be sure he’s always there with his evil laugh to try and ruin Mario’s life, but despite that, it’s hard not to love him.

One of the heaviest and strongest Mario Kart characters, you’ll feel it if he comes barrelling into you, and once he gets up to top speed there’s not much that can stop him!

Bowser is the perfect example of a cool villain, and even though he’s utterly dastardly, everyone has a little soft-spot in their heart for Bowser.

YOSHI (2)
Who doesn’t love Yoshi? He’s usually a bit of a jack-of-all-trades in Mario Kart, and he’s undoubtedly the cutest thing ever to come from Nintendo. Sure, you can’t understand a word he says, but he’s one of the Mario series longest serving characters and he’s had his own fair share of games dedicated just to him.

The perfect combination of nostalgia, cuteness and driving skill, Yoshi only just misses out on the top spot.

 
MARIO (1)

Some people will say this is a bit too obvious, but come on, was there ever going to be any other winner?

Give a controller to any new Mario Kart player and you can be almost sure they’ll go straight for Mario.

Not only has he got good all-round stats in the Mario Kart series, but for 23 years Mario has been the eternal nice guy, saving the princess and fighting the forces of evil. Plus, he’s got a cool accent, an awesome moustache that men worldwide are jealous of, and he’s one of the biggest names in all of gaming. He deservedly sits at the top of the Mario Kart 8 rankings.

So there you have it! My ultimate ranking of the Mario Kart 8 Characters. Feel free to let me know in the comments below if you agree/disagree with any of my choices! If you want to read another Mario Kart related article check out  22 Years Of Mario kart Games – The Retrospective

Mario Kart 8 will be released for Wii U on 30th May!

Super Smash Bros E3 Tournament Will Be Open To The Public
A big announcement from Nintendo as they invite fans to LA to attend the first tournament of their new Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U at E3. On June 10th 2014 Nintendo will present 16 skilled gamers to the Nokia Theater to celebrate everything Smash Bros. related. The new Super Smash Bros. Invitational, will let fans all around become spectators in person and on live stream for Twitch’s E3 channel and Nintendo’s Twitch channel.

To encourage fans, anyone who dresses up as their favorite Nintendo characters will be chosen for priority seating front stage. The tournament will be filmed and photographed so all the best costumes are shown on Nintendo’s YouTube and Twitch channel. The details about the event are listed below.

9:30 a.m.: Wristband distribution begins at NOKIA Plaza at L.A. LIVE, 777 Chick Hearn Court in Los Angeles. A wristband is required for entry, and 3,000 wristbands are available to Nintendo fans on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. Fans are requested to not line up prior to Tuesday morning.

Once a wristband is obtained, fans can leave the plaza area and then return later that day, closer to the start of the event.The order that wristbands are obtained in the morning does not impact the order of entry into the venue in the afternoon.
2:30 p.m.: Doors open
4 p.m.:  Super Smash Bros. Invitational begins

The new Smash Bros. game is scheduled for release sometime in 2014, while the Nintendo 3DS version is planned for the summer. For more information about the Super Smash Bros. Invitational, visit
http://e3.nintendo.com/#2014/tournament.

Killzone Shadow Fall DLC, Intercept, is a strategic online co-op mode where players take on specific combat roles to obtain and defend their resources.
Coming this June, Killzone: Shadow Fall‘s Intercept DLC from Guerilla Games has four players joining forces to take on AI-controlled Helghast in tactical combat. The expansion will contain four arena maps based on areas in Shadow Fall and set behind enemy lines. Intercept also introduces four new soldier classes: Assault, Marksman, Medic, and Tactician, all of which have to work together to reach their goal.

The goal of Intercept is simple: defend your Hacking Uplinks long enough to transmit data back to HQ. Your team, Intelligence Squad Alpha, is tasked with establishing and defending these links from enemies.

Your Team Score is based on how much progress you make in establishing your Uplinks as well as an aggregate of Personal Scores. Personal Scores are based on getting kills, using abililities, and capturing enemy bases. Raising your score does give you some tactical advantages as well. Earned bonuses include artillery strikes and the use of jetpacks.

However, Team Score decreases when you respawn after a death or lose an Uplink to the Helghast. When there isn’t enough Team Score left to respawn any more members of your team, you lose the match.

The DLC will include four new classes available for multiplayer combat. New classes such as Assault and Marksman are fairly straightforward: Assault is a shotgun-wielding, up-close-and-personal warrior class whereas Marksman is a long- and mid-range warrior whose sniper rifle totes explosive rounds.

The support roles are where the emphasis on tactical gameplay becomes more apparent. Medics can heal, revive, and drop supply boxes for teammates to use. Equipped with a submachine gun, the Medic isn’t much of a force to be reckoned with, however. The Tactician class plays a similar supporting role, defending the team using three deployable turrets and a shield.

The AI in Intercept have their own set of classes and goals. They will also make sure to change strategies after the successful capture of an Uplink, keeping players on their toes. Enemies can also call on champions, warriors based on Shadow Fall characters, to help them in battle.

Killzone Shadow Fall Intercept DLC will be available for download in June and will be free for Season Pass holders. A standalone version will be made available later this year. For updates and details on Intercept, visit Killzone.com.

With the upcoming release of Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, we should all take the time to look back on everything the series has gone through over the past 22 years. 
Featured image by Kulit7215

Now is the […]

Popular horror title gets a new look and a launch date
Aeria games, a popular developer for free-to-play online games announced the launch for the beta of the new installment in the F.E.A.R series with F.E.A.R. […]

 Super Monkey Ball Bounced coming free to a mobile on you
It may have taken a while but the Super Monkey Ball series is returning. Announced Monday by SEGA Networks, Inc., Super Monkey Ball Bounce is coming to mobiles this summer and it’s free. Featuring over 120 levels and with over 8 playable characters with different abilities, Super Monkey Ball Bounce is a new spin on the franchise and is inspired by pachinko or Peggle in other words.

So how many questions do you think this will get?

With all the turmoil that has gone on at Naughty Dog; is there cause for concern? Will Naughty Dog be one of the premier developers in the 8th generation?
During the seventh generation of consoles there were few […]

We have a great list of Wii Fitness games for you to check out.
The rise of the Wii back since 2006 spawned a huge new surge in fitness games. With accurate motion sensing technology and some ingenious peripherals, the Wii fitness market called out to a whole new section of gamers across the globe.

There’s a huge amount of Wii fitness games out there, and everyone is bound to find something they’ll enjoy, but if you’re struggling, here’s a helpful list of the Wii titles guaranteed to put a smile on your face while you shed those pounds.
EA Sports Active Series

Almost like your own personal gym, 2008’s EA Sports Active offered personal trainers, 30 day challenges, and a large number of workout regimens. Players can choose their own calorie-burning or timed goals, and can work towards them with personalised routines based on your own preferences and difficulty settings.

Much as a personal trainer might, EA Sports Active also tries to balance the workout, letting you know if you’ve spent too long working on a certain body part. The Wii Balance Board is compatible but not essential, and instead the game relies on a pouch that straps onto the leg and holds the Nunchuk, allowing the game to pick up lower body movements as well.

An expansion pack, EA Sports Active: More Workouts was released in November 2009, and a sequel, EA Sports Active 2 was released in November 2010, adding new regimens and more customisation options.
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp

EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp stemmed from the EA Sports Active series but focusses much more on the male audience, using American Football to diversify the exercises. The game is fully licensed by the NFL and has even more sensitivity than the other EA Sports Active games, using a heart rate monitor to keep track of your heart rate as you progress through the exercises.

The game modes are entirely different to the rest of the series, including routines such as the 40-yard dash and a 60 day challenge of various football drills.
Get Fit with Mel B

Melanie Brown might be more famous for being Scary Spice in the Spice Girls, but she’s branched out a lot more since then.

Get Fit with Mel B offers over 100 different exercises focussing on everything from cardio to toning, and dance fit to kickboxing. The game also offers real-time suggestions to improve your posture, motions and positioning, and even comes with a personal nutrition plan and recipes.

Released in 2010, the game is also available for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, though there is little difference between the versions. The Playstation Move Camera and Xbox Kinect can offer more real-time observation of more body parts, but the exercises are much the same.

 
Gold’s Gym: Cardio Workout

Gold’s Gym: Cardio Workout was released in the UK and Europe as My Fitness Coach: Cardio Workout in 2009. This game uses the ‘shape boxing’ regimen of the Kyoei Boxing Gym, including shadowboxing alongside more traditional muscle and cardio exercises.

The Wii Balance Board is useable but not essential, and the game also comes with nutritional guidance to offer a rounded fitness regime.

 
Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum

Jillian Michaels is best known as trainer on The Biggest Loser, and it’s unsurprising that she’s made the jump to exercise video games. Both a 2009 and 2010 edition was released, using the Wii Balance Board and Remote to complete four types of workouts: Weight Loss, Strength Training, Intervals and Hill Climb.

Players can choose the exercise, duration and intensity to match the regimen to their needs, and in the competitive spirit of The Biggest Loser, players can play against one another in real-time to see who can burn the most calories

 
UFC Personal Trainer

Mixed Martial Arts has grown in popularity at an astonishing rate over the past ten years, and a Wii fitness game linked to the sport was almost inevitable.

Again geared towards male players, the game’s exercises use motions and targets similar to those used in the sport. For example, punching combos and takedowns are common routines in the game.

 
Wii Fit Series

Without a doubt the most well-known Wii fitness game out there, the Wii Fit series is the first option for many players. The first game to introduce the Wii Balance Board back in 2008, Wii Fit offers a diverse combination of aerobic, balance, yoga and strength exercises.

The Balance Board not only increases the number of game types available but also allows the game to record your posture and weight, enabling a more thorough record of progress to be kept.

Leaderboards and competitions between different users of the game make the Wii Fit suitable not only as an exercise game, but a party game as well. Combining fun and fitness is perhaps why the Wii Fit series has stayed so popular.

A sequel, Wii Fit Plus, was released in 2009 with new activities and exercises, and the opportunity to create your own fitness regime so that you can simply click a button and play all of your favourite activities one after the other.

 
Yoga Wii

More therapeutic and relaxing than many other fitness games, Yoga Wii focusses entirely on using the Wii Balance Board to instruct and guide players through more than 30 yoga exercises and positions.

 
Your Shape

Despite being released on the Wii, Your Shape chose not to use the Wii Remote tracking system, and instead shipped with its own camera to track exercises and motions.

Jenny McCarthy, model and entertainer, fronted this game, which allowed players to tailor exercises to particular parts of the body depending on their preferences.

 
Zumba Fitness Series

The hottest fitness craze of the momentZumba was destined to land on the Wii. To enable the Wii to properly detect movements a belt was included which slotted the Wii Remote onto the player’s hip: the most used body part in Zumba.

The game supported multiple players, making it a party experience, not just a fitness one, and the wild success of the first game led to multiple sequels.

Zumba Fitness 2 introduced different dance styles, including Hip Hop, Merengue and Reggaeton, as well as music by some of the world’s biggest recording artists such as Pitbull and Nicole Scherzinger.

Zumba Fitness Core in 2012 offered more specific focus on the abdomen and even more new dance styles.

Zumba Fitness: World Party is one of the most recent offerings, with more songs and multiplayer options than previous games.

Zumba Kids was the last game ever released for the Wii in Europe before the console was discontinued, and, as the name suggests, focussed on kids and therefore easier routines.

Did we miss any? Want to weigh in on your personal favourite fitness games? Let us know in the comments below!

It’s now widely known that the Xbox One is lagging behind the Playstation 4, and one of Xbox’s biggest names had weighed in on just why he thinks there’s a 3 million consoles gap in sales.

In an interview […]

It’s good to see a little variety thrown in to the established formulas in order to keep things smelling fresh. CodeBrush Games takes a step in that direction by shaking things up with ArcheBlade.

ArcheBlade has all the feel of a MOBA with the touch of a fighting game. The genre is already dominated by the titans like Dota 2, and ArcheBlade needs to be quite impressive to draw in a reliable following. At first glance it really has a lot of potential. How long can that impression last?

 
Gameplay
ArcheBlade is pretty straightforward. The left and right mouse buttons control your attacks. By clicking both buttons in combinations you can use more powerful or contextually important attacks. That would be great if it were in any way relevant.

The big flaw with this – and let’s admit it, all fighting games – is that the handful of possible combo attacks are in no way important to some players. No matter how hard you try to string together that block breaking combo attack, more often than not, you are getting thrown into the air and demolished by someone with an overused right mouse button. In fact, the only time I have racked on any kills is by rolling my face around on the keyboard.

In all seriousness, the combat mechanics need a lot of work. ArcheBlade is the kind of game that seems almost completely devoid of any depth. I won’t lie and say there is absolutely no entertainment value whatsoever. If I could afford all the best items I would also enjoy making newcomers miserable. The cold truth is that this game doesn’t entice me into spending any money, and as a result there is minimal room for progress.

With some more complexity, the mechanics could be more balanced in a way that makes playing ArcheBlade enjoyable in the long run. There just aren’t enough options – or even enough balance between characters – to stave off a team of button mashing madmen.

 
Presentation
The overall value of production is something of a mixed bag. I’m too cowardly to admit I may be biased toward the sexiness ArcheBlade carries in its artwork.

The game may be no more or less enjoyable without an array of sexualized female characters and the equally emphasized masculinity of some of the men. All in all, ArcheBlade looks nice. The fighters aren’t particularly complex in appearance, but they are given enough detail to be a pleasant sight.

Where the inconsistency becomes apparent is in the presentation of the few arenas you may find yourself fighting in. The characters are appealing enough to make me expect some degree of depth to be found in this game’s environment, but to put it bluntly, they just fall short of my expectations.

I can’t reasonably expect something on par with a game whose gameplay is more complex, but I would at least like to see the maps fall in line with the visual appeal of the rest of the game. The few maps that do exist are bland and generic. ArcheBlade is an arena fighting game, so the maps serve the purpose of hosting the often frustrating engagements that come with the territory. Each character has an appearance to suit her personality, but the environments leave way to much unsaid.

Once again on the positive end, ArcheBlade has an appealing soundtrack the compliments the violent fantasy it is set in.

 
Lifespan

ArcheBlade benefits from its relative uniqueness. Being a third person arena fighting game makes it stand out to me. The question is: Is it good enough to keep me coming back for another round?

There are a few maps with different game modes. The variety ends just about there. Not only are you unlikely to be impressed by the handful of maps and modes, the typical round goes down the same way no matter how many times you play it.

There are plenty of characters, but you’ll be lucky to see half of them in game. There are no restrictions on how many people can use a character at once. The bottom line is that no matter how hard you scour the server listings, chances are you’ll just find another match full of scantily clothed women with ranged attacks.

 
Freeness
ArcheBlade’s freeplay model disappoints me. The fact that I have to endure round after round of frustration in order to gather pocket change is wildly irritating. I had received a small teaser for gems, the premium currency, when I started playing. Unfortunately, nothing can be done with so few, so early.

On a more positive note, gear upgrades are mostly locked by level. You’d think this would help to stall the inevitable leap toward pay to win. That might be the case if servers were more restrictive with the level range. At the start you can only afford to unlock one or two fighters with no gear. The abundance of leveled vets makes it impossible to get any momentum.

 
The Verdict
ArcheBlade looks like it should be a quality game that should keep you playing for hours. Unfortunately, the design doesn’t seem to add up to that fleeting impression it gives you at first glance. The mechanics are simple, but fail to bring about any sense of entertaining gameplay. I wouldn’t go so far as to say ArcheBlade’s only appeal purely in the visual aspects of the game. But the bottom line is that the most attractive part of the game is the artwork.

The Walking Dead: Season Two Episode Three Available Now

The Walking Dead: Season Two episode three ‘In Harm’s Way’ is available now on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and Mac. Episode 3, In Harm’s Way, will be available on iOS devices Thursday, May 16th. As for the PlayStation Vita version, that is still unknown, but it shouldn’t be too far off as the first two episodes just recently came to the PlayStation Vita.

Telltale’s second season of The Walking Dead has been just as good as the first season and, not surprisingly, Telltale has reaped the rewards in terms of accolades and sales success. Up to this point, Telltale’s The Walking Dead series has sold more than 28 million episodes worldwide across the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation Vita, and others.

Also, it’s worth pointing out that we should recognize the fact that Telltale Games is keeping their games on a regular schedule now. Telltale Games have gotten a lot of flack in the past for untimely release dates on their games. Especially, season one of The Walking Dead last year. But, now it seems as though they’ve straightened that out.

The Wolf Among Us episode two came out in early February, then The Walking Dead episode two came out in early March; The Wolf Among Us episode 3 came out in early April and now we see episode three of The Walking Dead coming out in early-to-mid May. Credit where credit is do so a tip of the cap to Telltale Games and hopefully they can continue to keep it up.

As always, for more information on The Walking Dead head on over to Telltale’s website here, check them out on Facebook here, and you can follow Telltale Games and all that good stuff on Twitter here.

Phil Spencer, Head Of Xbox Announces New Updates & The Kinect-less Xbox One Bundle
Phil Spencer Head of Xbox shared his new vision for the Xbox Division that fans will embrace as they unleash news about the future of Xbox. Spencer went on to thank consumers for their feedback in November when the new console launched and how they have made changes with monthly update.

On June 9th in all available markets that Xbox One is sold, the console will now run at 349 pounds in the UK and $399 In north America, a new option that does not include the Kinect.

For £349, our new Xbox One offering will continue to deliver access to the best blockbuster games like “Titanfall,” “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” “Forza Motorsport 5,” “Dead Rising 3,” and the upcoming “Watch Dogs,” “Destiny” and “Sunset Overdrive”.

Along with this new console option Spencer announced the removal of pay walls for Netflix, Youtube, and Twitch which now do not require an Xbox Live Gold account to be used.

Games with Gold will also continue to involve with the arrival of itsfeatures on Xbox One with Halo: Spartan Assault and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, available free in the month of June

. On Xbox 360 the free games will be Dark Souls, Charlie Murder, and bonus game Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.

Since its launch over 12 million gamers have enjoyed free games with over 200 million hours logged.

Microsoft will also be starting Exclusive Discounts which also begins in June. Each month hit games such as Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse: Son of Rome, and other titles will see discounts. With savings of up to 50-70 percent off expected gamers can also expect more in the new virtual VIP room, where Gold subscribers will see free games, monthly deals, and other benefits to be announced.

We’re constantly adding new partners and experiences to the growing catalog on Xbox One. Coming in June, anyone with an Xbox will be able to access popular entertainment experiences – whether or not you have an Xbox Live Gold membership. Microsoft experiences including Internet Explorer, Skype, OneDrive and OneGuide will also be available to all Xbox customers4.
 

Spencer went on to say that although Kinect is being removed for some console options that will remain an important asset of the Microsoft brand, with an average of over 120 voice commands per month on each console and more then 80 percent of users actively using Kinect. A standalone Kinect will also be available for sale in Fall for gamers who wish to buy the Kinect later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0URZt5i-KHE

You can learn more about both Xbox One options here.

Upcoming Gran Turismo update has Polyphony Digital Inc. and the Ayrton Senna Institute pairing together to showcase the popular racer’s achievements.
On May 27 2014, a Gran Turismo 6 update will introduce new […]

Introduction
Nether is an indie post-apocalyptic survival game, with it’s violence and horror aspects Nether is focused at a more mature audience who are into survival shooters with more of a focus on PvP than other games of it’s genre, it’s also for the hardcore gamer.

It’s a new entry and was released in October 2013, it’s a game with high potential and is still getting updated frequently.

 
Story/Creativity:
Nether has no immediate story, which is understandable as the game still isn’t completed and is obviously not a main focus in the game.

The developers are trying to iron out the present bugs to make the game as enjoyable as possible before it’s final release. However I’m extremely confident that there will be some form of story telling, hopefully through journals found in game that will hopefully answer some of my questions that I have about the Nether and what exactly happened to the city the game takes place in.
Gameplay:

Nether is a survival game, it’s gameplay can be easily compared to DayZ as you’ll end up doing the same things such as looting, hiding from potential enemies and killing every other player you see.

The game pace can change rapidly depending on the situation your in, I usually took everything slowly when I was exploring the large area you have to play in, until I heard gunfire or a scream of a Nether approaching. Then everything changes and it becomes an exciting and fast pace experience that would keep the most veteran of players on their toes.

Nether does have a tutorial, where it simply brings the basics to your attention such as courier quests, clans and the weapon shop. Then it leaves you to explore the world with your little butter knife and crafted weapon.

Nether keeps the gameplay interesting as there are different types of enemies, and are all threats and these are better off being found out by the player.

The tutorial may seem basic but with this kind of game it is a feature that is often overlooked, it allows a rather daunting game to become more friendly to players which are new to the genre as I wouldn’t of known how to craft weapons or know how to get quests if it weren’t of it.

There are several safe zones on the map, this allows players to trade, accept or hand in quests, store items in the global inventory or craft new weapons. The global inventory is essentially your bank, you can put in your valuable items in there and not lose them upon death, as when you die you have to create a new character and level yourself back up again and retrieve your gear.

The global inventory system makes the game far less frustrating and kept me playing as I didn’t lose everything because another player thought it would be funny to snipe a newbie. The safe zones aren’t always safe as there are special events where the anti-Nether devices go down and players need to activate them again prevent the zone being swarmed and this will affect everyone on the server.

The Nether all have the ability to teleport and will often teleport behind you to get the first hit in, when caught by the Nether it’s usually best to stand your ground and fight because they’ll catch up to you with ease and whittle away at your health until you drop dead. Even when you have a gun they’re still threatening because they have methods of appearing unpredictably.
Presentation:

Nether looks astounding, it aims for the realistic look which it easily achieved. The game looks dark and gritty and tries it’s best to get the player immersed into the environment, the soundtrack helps with this as you often hear nothing but the wind blowing and the steps you take. You often hear distant gunshots or Nether and it kept me absorbed into the games world, which many games fail to achieve today.

The menus of Nether are very intuitive and easy to use, there are several tabs for you to accept group invites, manage inventory space and manage whatever options you might need to change.
Lifespan:
Nether’s lifespan is very extensive, especially if you’re playing with friends. There are enough items for you to work towards if you want to get the best gear in the game to take down the strongest enemy with your friends. You can also join several groups called Tribes, these don’t do much for you unless you want to play with friends. It enables players from the same Tribe to communicate with each other, however more often than not people will kill you anyway if you’re both in the same Tribe which can make them somewhat redundant for the solo player.

You can also capture several zones and claim them for your Tribe, I didn’t feel the need to go for them because I felt the benefits it provided weren’t worth while. It’ll take a while for you to craft and loot the best weapons in the game, but once you do you may find yourself running out of things to do until new features are added.
Overall:
This game is definitely worth your while and there is little reason for you not to get it. For a game that is still early access there are an extremely large amount of features, there are updates frequently that put the most dedicated developers to shame.

 New Nintendo UK merchandise category means no more Japanese imports
By the time your reading this the Nintendo UK merchandise category will now be available online through their official site here. For the first […]

With people getting so upset about Facebook buying Oculus Rift, I’d like to clear the air.
The Oculus Rift has become quite popular since it was invented in 2012 and I can see why it would be. Who wouldn’t want […]

Crazy swords and destructive title weapons have come crashing to the iOS App Store in the form of Soul Calibur: Unbreakable Soul, a free-to-play installment of the Soul Calibur series.

Namco Bandai Ltd. have […]

GTA Online: The High Life Update Coming Next Week, Tuesday May 13th
As we talked about last month, Rockstar Games will be unleashing new online updates. Next Tuesday we will be getting the GTA Online: The High […]