Category: Editorial

E3 2018 Sony Press Conference Highlights

Editorial Team

E3 is just about over this year, and while Sony did not reveal too many surprises or shocking announcements this round – such as confirming rumors regarding a PS5 or PSVR2 – we did get to see more of the titles we are already anticipating for the near future. So without further ado, here are the E3 2018 Sony Press Conference Highlights.

E3 2018 Sony Press Conference HighlightsThings were kicked-off with some gameplay of Naughty Dog‘s upcoming The Last of Us Part II. Ellie is stealthily creeping through the tall grass and hiding behind abandoned cars, while picking off the nearby baddies using a variety of weapons, crafting ammunition and pulling an arrow out of her shoulder. The graphics look stunning, and the gameplay seems more brutal than the previous installment. No release window has been announced yet.

E3 2018 Sony Press Conference HighlightsFollowing a set of teasers, we got to see some gameplay of Sucker Punch Productions‘ upcoming action-adventure title, Ghost of Tsushima. Set in an open world, the game takes place in ancient Japan during the first Mongol invasion, where players can engage in one-on-one duels with their katanas, use stealth, and explore the island of Tsushima on horseback. The graphics on this one is also breathtaking, particularly the picturesque environment. Ghost of Tsushima is scheduled for release sometime next year.

E3 2018 Sony Press Conference HighlightsPerhaps the biggest highlight of the Press Conference was gameplay for Hideo Kojima’s highly anticipated and talked-about Death Stranding, where we see the player-character modeled after Normal Reedus, wandering a desolate land while lugging scientific equipment, hiding from a strange phantom that leaves handprints in the mud, and using a device to reveal invisible enemies to sneak past. The trailer appears both incredible and ambiguous at the same time. Still no release window set for Death Stranding.

E3 2018 Sony Press Conference HighlightsThings ended with gameplay for Insomniac Games‘ Spider-Man, set for release on September 7, 2018. The game will be set in an open-world of New York City, where Spidey not only battles enemies with his fists and web-action, but can use environmental combat, stealth, and even craft his own gadgets.

Other quick teasers and trailers were revealed for Resident Evil 2 Remake set for January 25 next year, the action RPG Kingdom Hearts III releasing worldwide on January 29, Team Ninja‘s Nioh 2, the quirky Trover Saves the Universe by the creator of Rick and Morty, and Remedy Entertainment‘s supernatural action-adventure Control.

What are you most excited about? Let us know on our Trophy Hunter Facebook Page.

PlayStation Plus Free Games June 2018

Editorial Team

It may have taken awhile for the announcement, but to be fair, the first Tuesday of June is almost a week away. After much anticipation, Sony has announced their next line-up of PlayStation Plus free games June 2018 which will be available for download on Tuesday, June 5.

On the PlayStation 4, there’s the turn-based tactics game XCOM 2, in which the military, after losing the war against an alien invasion, has dwindled down to a resistance group. And Trials Fusion, a platforming racer where players control a motorcycle in a physics-based 2D setting, avoiding obstacles and hazards on the way to the finish line.

For the PlayStation 3, there’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, the third-person cover-based tactical shooter that places highly trained special-ops soldiers in dangerous warzones, set in the near future. And Zombie Driver HD: Complete Edition, a top-down vehicular combat game set during a zombie apocalypse, where players use a variety of vehicles and weapons to take down hoards of the undead.

And on the PlayStation Vita, there’s Atomic Ninjas, an online multiplayer action platformer game in which players battle players and bots using a range of ninja weapons and gadgets. And Squares, a puzzle game where players need to change grey squares into blue against the clock.

Among the PlayStation Plus free games June 2018, XCOM 2, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and Zombie Driver HD: Complete Edition, have Platinum trophies to unlock. Among these, Zombie Driver HD is by far the easier of the three, requiring about 18 hours of playing. Meanwhile, both XCOM 2 and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier have fairly challenging Platinums that require roughly 100 hours.

Also, Atomic Ninjas is rather easy and not too time consuming to unlock 100% of the trophies, particularly if you have plenty of spare controllers or boosting partners.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

Editorial Team

9 / 10 Banzai!s

The Game:

“It’s not the end of the world. But you can see it from here.”

Deus Ex: Human Revolution, incorrectly dubbed Deus Ex 3 by some, is a prequel to the original 2000 game Deus Ex, ported on the PC and PlayStation 2. Through the combined efforts of Canada’s Eidos Montreal and Japan’s Square Enix, we’ve got a first-person, cyberpunk action RPG with stealth elements.

Set in 2027 (25 years before the first game) Adam Jensen is the new director of security for the biotechnology corporation Sarif Industries, and boyfriend to scientist Megan Reed. Just before she can reveil her work’s secret to the world, a terrorist group bursts in and kills Megan, while leaving Adam in pretty rough shape.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution ReviewSarif Industries graciously reworks Adam’s body, fixing him with enough augmentations to give Robocop a run for his money. Six months after the attack, Adam follows a trail of the terrorists, leading him to Hengsha City off the coast of China, Montreal, and other locations – as well as deep into a plot which he could never imagine.

The game plays like a stealth first-person shooter, in which the player can decide to run in with guns blazing, or sneak around to avoid conflict, or both. RPG elements include a building of experience points, which can be used to upgrade the augmentations – such as smashing through walls or cloaking yourself invisible ala Predator style.

 

What I Liked:

Obviously, with a 9 out of 10 Banzai!s, this could go on for several pages.

Specifically, I loved the overall atmosphere of the game. From the smoke and lighting, to all the events occurring around you, to the detail and excellent CG work, you truly feel as though you’re in this Blade Runner like world. Not all games do this for me – with a few exceptions (Bioshock, for instance). There’s just a certain amount of detail and believability in everything you see and hear which never lets up from start to finish.

I also thought the alternate routes in completing missions was well done. I’ve played some of Metal Gear Solid 4, in which Kojima was aiming for the same thing – you can either sneak your way around, or take the shooting approach. However, (and to be fair, I haven’t finished the game) in my experience, I didn’t always find that to be the case. MGS4 felt as though you were meant to take the stealth approach, with occasional instances where shooting could be performed. But in Human Revolution, I never felt the game lead me in one direction or the other. You were free to do as you please – sneak, shoot, or sometimes even talk your way out of the situation. The path to your goal is truly left up to you.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution ReviewAlso, each time you “level-up” and upgrade your augmentations, you feel the difference. This isn’t like Final Fantasy where, you’re just a wee bit stronger. Each augmentation greatly enhances your abilities, making you really want to level up! By the end of the game, you feel so bad-ass with your augmentations that you could take on Robocop and Terminator at the same time.

Then, of course, there’s the story. What can I say? It’s engaging in its mystery. Complicated, but engaging. There are plot twists along the way – which you’ll need to follow the story carefully to realize them – and it’s never quite clear who the bad guys are, leaving you guessing until the end.

What I Didn’t Like:

To be honest, there’s not a lot to say, here. The only thing I sometimes found frustrating was the map; it’s not always clear where you’re supposed to go. Not all the side-quests appear, while the main mission – even if you switch it off – sometimes still shows up on your map, which can be a little confusing. At times, I found myself running down one way, only to find a dead end, then having to travel all the way back around.

While taking place in a number of buildings with various floors, I can see why Eidos/Square Enix had trouble trying to come up with a good mapping system. I suppose they did their best, but it was still complicated as hell, at times.

 

Overall:

Dues Ex: Human Revolution is not a game to be missed. You needn’t be a fan of first-person shooters, because there’s plenty of options for you. There are so few titles in the cyberpunk genre (Shadowrun on Xbox 360 could have been great, but instead was turned into a big, steaming pile of ca-ca) and thankfully Human Revolution does a great job of bringing the genre to life.

Excellent story, great voice-acting, superb graphics, and a feeling like you’re truly in the game’s world.

written by Damon Finos

Could a Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition Be Coming To PS4?

Editorial Team

Earlier today, a leaked document from Nintendo that was uncovered by Powerup revealed a list of upcoming games for the Nintendo Switch that were soon to be revealed at this year’s E3. One of these titles turned out to be a new version of Fallout 3, named the Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition, by Bethesda.

Fallout 3 was first released on seventh generation consoles and the PC in October 2008. If this leaked information is true, than it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to speculate that the Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition may also be planned to be ported onto the PlayStation 4.

Considering both the time and resources Bethesda puts into their games, it’s no wonder they hope to extend the lives of their products. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, for example, was first released for seventh generation consoles in 2011, then ported onto eighth generation consoles five years later, then again in November 2017 for the Nintendo Switch, and again for the PlayStation VR. Bethesda may be planning the same revamping with their Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition.

With DLC trophies included, the original Fallout 3 on the PS3 has a total of 73 trophies. Trophy hunters may rejoice with the chance to double that number should the Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition release a separate list on their PS4, as Bethesda had done with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

For those of you who never played the original Fallout 3, or are in need of a refresher of its storyline and contents, check out our Fallout 3 Review.

PlayStation Plus Free Games May 2018

Editorial Team

It’s that time of the month again, where Sony unveils their next line-up of PlayStation Plus free games May 2018, which will be available for download on Tuesday, May 1.

For the PlayStation 4, there’s Beyond: Two Souls, the revamp of the original PS3 title by the creators of Heavy Rain, an interactive adventure about a young woman named Jodie and her incorporeal entity Aiden. And Rayman Legends, a platformer featuring Rayman and his friends who must fight the spreading monsters and save the Glade of Dreams.

On the PlayStation 3, there’s Eat Them!, where players create their own monsters and head off on a rampage. And Risen 3: Titan Lords, the 2015 RPG in which the Nameless Hero must battle hordes of enemies in a world abandoned by its gods and suffering from the rampaging Titans.

Finally, for the PlayStation Vita, there’s Furmins, the physics-based puzzle game originally released for the iOS, where players must help the fuzzy Furmins reach their goals. And King Oddball, a puzzle game somewhat in style to Angry Birds, featuring over 120 levels. King Oddball is a cross-plat with both the PS3 and PS4.

Among the free games for May 2018, Beyond: Two Souls, Rayman Legends, and Risen 3: Titan Lords have Platinum trophies to unlock.

Between the three, Beyond: Two Souls is by far the easiest, though will require a few playthroughs and 25-30 hours of your time. Also, both Eat Them! and Furmins are not too difficult with a guide, each requiring roughly 8 hours to unlock 100% of the trophies.