Forbes think "Atari could disrupt the game console market" What? I'm not even sure the Ataribox is actually a real thing! There are practically no details available on the console but looking at the landscape tells us enough!

Entering the current gen console market in a serious way is a multi billion dollar investment. This is a company with a market capital <€100m. They simply cannot afford to be in the game (pun intended)! That is not even mentioning the difficulty in engaging 3rd party developers, even Nintendo continue to struggle with that. To have a chance of success, a company would need cash and brand equity on the order of Apple!

It is unlikely to be as some people suggest a Mini-NES like retro machine either! Mainly because multiple Atari iterations of these exist already and have been available at retail for years. (We have some in store right now).

So what is it? Digital only games console? Hello Onlive, Goodbye Steam boxes! 
I honestly think it is some clever market test of Atari's remaining brand equity. Which is strong with my vintage but I'm not so sure about Generation Z. How much buzz can be generated from nothing but the brand? It's an interesting concept don't you think? Perhaps if it lit-up, a rich partner might emerge to fund a serious console play. I doubt it!

Shane

OUTSTANDING is all you need to know but if your interested in why, then read on!

The the sound effects from the weapons that you hear the first time you press the trigger in the beta instantly tell you that the game your about to play has been given the love, care and attention to detail that is required to really put you inside the STAR WARS universe. Play on and you will quickly realise that the absence of a campaign is not going to reduce this insantaneous immersion.

The shooting in the game is certainly more arcade like than what you would expect from Battlefield, but it still holds the punchiness that you will be accustomed to from a DICE title. The shots land, you feel them land and so does the enemy. My preference would be slighlty less shots to kill(it takes maybe 5 or so body shots to put down and enemy) but this never becomes a frustration. Here's hoping for a hardcore mode.

The 'perks' for want of a better word allow you a choice of 3 weapons or abilities to carry into battle. Partner in a 2 man squad and you can switch to your partners perks on respawn if you so wish. This if used with an organised partner will allow you to change your loadout mid match depending on situation. This is important as some loadouts are set up for taking out vehicles and others for infantry fighting. I'm sure this variety will expand further in the full game as the beta imposed a level cap at rank 5.

Vehicle warfare is also epic. The X wings and Tie Fighters feel again arcade like, but very authentic. The ease of control system make for superb dog fights that beat even War Thunder in terms of tension and fun. The AT ST make you feel dominant but never over powered, in the cockpit of the AT AT your weaponry is over powered but your lack of movement control keeps game balance.

There is an argument that the AT AT game mode is unbalanced in favour of the Imperials but I actually think it just took time for players to understand how to actually take out the AT AT. Rebel players must take an uplink, domination style and hold for a period which will trigger a shield drop for the AT ATs. This is when the rebels should man gun emplacements and aircraft to focus attacks on the AT AT. Once this is understood by players the game is pretty even. I do hope DICE don't nerf the imperials too much as I think after a few days of play the game mode is actually bang on.

As BETA tests go this was exceptional. Apparantly the full game will have a healthy 12 maps which I think is about bang on considering there is no campaign. 

This is set to be the best shooter of the console generation so far as well as one of the most graphically accomplished titles too. DICE never let you down




 

 

From all the parts of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to recommend, of which there are many, the level design is what sets this game apart from the pack.

As you lie prone overlooking your target village, outpost or compound, you carefully weigh up your many options. Satisfaction floods over you as you survey your immmenent conquest. Will I snipe some of these guys right now from this postion? Will I kill that lone sentry in the outpost and turn his mortar on the village? Will I sneak in and out unseen with the hostage on my back? Will I ambush the targets jeep on the way to town or wait until he beds down for the night and kill him while he sleeps? Will I C4 the comms tower to stop these guys warning the next village that I'm here or is the commotion too much to risk?

Never has a game made me want to replay each mission immediately after I've just completed it. I want to do it better, quicker, quieter and the end of mission scoreboard only adds to this desire.

That is why this game with it's traditional anime esc plot, kitch scenes and Kojima easter eggs pulls together with some of the best ever level design to already be a modern classic! 

  

I've recently started to replay a game from my past(20 years ago) on the PS1 called Alundra. As I play through I can vaguely remember the scenes and the story but I've forgotten enough to make it feel like I'm playing for the first time.

If you don't know the game, picture an old zelda-esque map of a town, with various houses to explore, bushes to chop for gems, people to talk to, stuff to buy and troublesome quests to get caught up in. 

What sets Alundra apart though are the puzzles that are genuinely taxing. You are left in a dungeon with a puzzle to solve, perhaps a riddle and no hand holding. If you can't solve it, you can't progress. No hint will be given, no workaround and when it was launched first there was of course no internet to speak of(Yes kids, no internet! It's not a horror story. It's just the way it was).

It seems that today publishers shy sway from this difficulty level. Is it them or us though? Will we play a game now that we actually need to think about to complete? Is our patience too short now and our time to precious?

I believe most gamers are inherently competitive and the difficulty level is simply setting a challenge for us to overcome. I just need to point to guys doing Destiny Solo Raids without firing. Players are creating their own challenges to get that fix. In truth, lack of difficulty in single player games drives us online for some real competition.

We need a modern Alundra! 

After recently completing Bloodborne I have redefined what I consider an open world game. 
Our tradional view of this genre is that of GTA, Skyrim or ore recently Dying Light. These are massive maps, freely explorable and rich in content. However they share the same design issue, which is the requirement to keep the player on the story arc. 
This is generally achieved in a variation of the same method which is a dot on map objective approach. Go from A to B, Do X and Y, return to A again. While the worlds are open the game is in fact linear!!
Where the Souls series differs is that although I would say the world itself while freely explorable is not quite as open as the aforementioned titles, the game itself is far more open. 
You start the game vulnerable....physically but also mentally because of the lack of information. The lack of an objective, not being told what to do or where to go is unnerving but also forces true exploration. I have to choose between 4 paths to take but there is nobody to tell which is the right one. Only exploration of these paths will increase my knowledge.
I hope this design approach could be adopted some day for a GTA esque game. 

We are struggling to understand the value proposition of the Steam Box. If you want PC games on your couch the barrier isn't the box but the absence of a control system and the pic below definitely doesn't solve that. Everybody of course would like a super powered console but no-one wants to pay for it which is why the PS4 and XBOX ONE specs were not maxed out this generation like the last time around. There is the abundance of indie games of course but the existing console generation has embraced that more than ever before so why a steam box? Anyone?

Player1 Sponsored a Bomberman tournament in the Woolshed this weekend. Here is a video of the final. Enjoy! 
Thanks to www.Randomselect.ie crew for hosting!

Majora's Mask is out this Friday and it's averaging 90 on Metacritic. The lowest score I could find is 80. Remastering aside this is essentially a 15 year old game that is currently reviewing as the 3rd best game in the last 12 months... only Smash Bros and and remastered GTA V are ahead of it. It makes us wonder if they just don't make games like they used too? We need a current gen classic now but it's hard to see where it will come from. Halo 5 or Uncharted 4 perhaps but they be too far down the sequels to really surprise anyone.

We're actually going to have to give up Destiny. This constant need to complete all bounties, weekly and daily events, nightfalls, strikes etc etc. I must upgrade my boots!!  The feeling doesn't relent. 1am every weeknight equals staff with red eyes in the morning. We'll give it up for Lent maybe!