Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Released: May 1st 2013
XBLA/PS Network/PC (XBLA version reviewed)
Your name is Rex “Power” Colt, this is 2007, and this is the future.
Bioshock Infinite
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Irrational Games
Released: 26th March 2013
Xbox 360/PS3/PC/Mac (Xbox 360 version reviewed)
There was always a lighthouse, always a man, and always a city.
Tomb Raider
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Released: 5th March 2013
Xbox 360/PS3/PC (Xbox 360 version reviewed)
Many of us were introduced to the famous English rose, Miss Lara Croft, way back in 1996, when we found her she was experienced, fearless, and sassy as hell, with an air of nonchalance about everything. We met her as a fully formed character, a full personality and backstory already vaguely set up, back then we didn’t need more than this, being presented with beautiful 3D environments and dinosaurs. However that was before, and with the way the Tomb Raider series went we needed something new, a heroine that not only has the attitude and self-reliance but also someone we can empathise with, someone who we can not only understand could become such an unparalleled badass, but also see it play out before us.
In terms of the way the series as a whole has gone a reboot is the only route it could have taken. Considering the number of soft reboots and subtle changes in story over the years, and taking into account not only the reverence but also the respect that the series and character in general deserves.
And Crystal Dynamics understands this completely. With Tomb Raider you’re plunged headfirst into the heart of darkness and given two options; fight or die.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Producer: Konami
Developer: Platinum Games
Released: 22nd February 2013
Xbox 360/PS3 (Xbox 360 reviewed)
Before Minecraft, before Devil May Cry, before Hitman or Skyrim or Mass Effect or any of those iconic or just plain exciting games that I’ve spent hundreds of hours of my life playing, way back in 1998 there was a game that came out, and a subsequent series that captured my imagination and my interest in a way no other has before, or for that matter probably since, and that was Metal Gear Solid. I know well and understand to an extent the complaints people have with the series and me and Uriel have sat down and discussed them at length. This is a series of games that, while trying to incorporate excitement and fun for the player have a deep, deep, involving and intricate backstory that players must understand to fully appreciate them. The series may be a stealth ‘em up in nature but it does more than that, trying to educate the player on political and philosophical themes, usually in the form of wordy and lengthy cutscenes that people may not have the time or inclination to sit through, and that’s fair enough. If that’s not for you then I’m not going to sit here and tell you that clearly you’re wrong and the games are awesome, that’s your choice, but this is the Metal Gear I’ve loved for a long time. And when I saw the latest title in the form of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, I panicked.
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Producer: Sega
Developer: Gearbox Software
Released: February 12th 2013
XBox 360/PS3/PC (Xbox 360 reviewed)
I’ve always been a fan of the Alien series, from its dark, hauntingly horrific origins all the way even to that shambles of a forth film. There’s a rich mythology behind the films, the genealogy of the species, their connection to the outer reaches of space, their flat out terrifying nature of kill and spread, their adaptability, a physical representation of a fear of the unknown, it all adds together to create a rich tapestry ripe for mining for inspiration. At the head of this is Aliens, James Cameron’s iconic sci-fi horror action masterpiece, which, with all of its bravado and gung-ho awesomeness gives you a greater understanding of the character of Ripley, a foundation for her protective nature to the wild-eyed, innocent Newt, and an ingrained hatred for her alien nemeses. Along with a wonderfully varied cast of unique characters and a kick ass cast this film was one of the first to get me loving the sci-fi genre in general.
Dead Space 3
Producer: Electronic Arts
Developer: Visceral Games
Released: February 8th 2013
Xbox 360/PS3/PC (Xbox 360 reviewed)
In an age when Resident Evil was moving further into the world of being yet another generic clunky third-person shooter series and Silent Hill was moving further towards, well, just being a sham of its former self, Dead Space came along as something of a messiah. The second coming of good survival horror was signalled by this sci-fi piece of pure unadulterated terror, every corner was once again a place of fear, every hallway a blood covered, poorly lit hell, and every gamer playing it’s heart was beating four times faster and bathed in panic.
DmC (Devil May Cry)
Released: 14/1/2013
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Ninja Theory
To begin I think you, as the reader, need to understand the depth of my love for Devil May Cry prior to this reboot. I have played every version religiously, from its origins through to its peak at Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening (in my humble opinion) and back to the slight disappointment of 4, but never once losing faith in Dante as he is and always will be one of my most beloved characters and heroes. I even own a model of him on display at my desk just to remind me of those glorious afternoons battling beasties and bad guys all with an epic size grin on my face..
The Best and Worst of 2012, Reset Style.
This year has been big for gamers and the industry as a whole. We had the first of the new generation of consoles in the form of the WiiU, as well as hints at what we could be looking at for the next step of graphical evolution with the likes of the glorious looking Watch Dogs. And then of course we had those such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and this years Fifa, continued staples of our yearly releases to appease the masses. On the other hand though we’ve had current gen titles that have instantly gone down in the annuls of history as guaranteed classics, and this post intends to focus on those titans that made us proud to be gamers.
Assassin’s Creed III
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Released: 31st October 2012
Xbox 360/Ps3/PC (Xbox 360 reviewed)
Well we’ve closed in on the Christmas season once again, that time of year that gives us more AAA titles than we can shake a stick at, and how can we, the mere consumers, decide which deserves our attention and more importantly, our money? It’s not an easy task, and I don’t presume to be the one to tell you where to spend your hard-earned moolah, but what I can tell you is this one simple thing, before we even begin our review today: Assassin’s Creed III is the goddamn bomb.
Dishonored
Producer: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Arkane Studios
Released: 12th October 2012
Xbox 360/PS3/PC (Xbox 360 reviewed)
Okay I’m going to throw it out here, I’ve been out of the loop for a while. I’ve been playing recent releases but frankly, every single thing I’ve played since, well, probably Max Payne 3 has just bored me. We’ve been living in a sea of generic, average, unexciting games that just don’t stick or leave a lasting impression in any way. Considering the last game we at Reset reviewed was Inversion, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take a step back, and wait until something that truly mattered came out. Yes last week saw the arrival of Resident Evil 6, which from a personal standpoint I thought was bloody awesome, but I didn’t have time to properly play it. However, I had more than enough time to play Arkane Studios’ Dishonored, a steampunk infused first-person adventure full of conspiracy, danger, and more people being stabbed in the throat than you could possibly imagine. This is what we at Reset have been waiting for, a game to truly give a damn about, granted it’s not the perfect game, but it’s bloody impressive.
Inversion
Producer: Namco Bandai Games
Developer: Saber Interactive
Released: July 13th 2012
Xbox 360/PS3/PC (Xbox 360 reviewed)
Some games sneak up on you and surprise you by creating something unusual, interesting and innovative that you’ve never seen before. Games that have little to no buzz that suddenly gain a cult following just by their sheer technical superiority. Games like this are what make the industry thrive, gamers happy, and the medium stronger.
Mass Effect 3: The Extended Cut
When Mass Effect 3 came out the game was universally applauded for its step forward in science fiction brilliance, enhancements in combat, graphical beauty and fantastically written story; but for some inexplicable reason, the ending was almost equally universally panned. It left an unsatisfying taste in the mouths of fans. There was petitioning to have it changed, or at the very best clarified. Personally I was of the mind that nothing about the game needed to be changed in any way. I thought it was near perfection in a game. Yes, the ending was slightly underwhelming, but this is coming from a series that engrossed players for five years, getting them completely invested and making it so they didn’t want it to end. Add to this the astonishingly epic and intense battle through the streets of London, it can be understandable that anything that followed would be underwhelming.
Gaming News 04/07/12
It’s a happy day for Final Fantasy VII, with the game officially coming to PC “soon”. Although there’s no official date, a whole host of online additions, including achievements, have been revealed. Check out the announcement trailer right here:
The Amazing Spider-Man
Developer: Beenox
Publisher: Activision
Released: 29th June 2012
Xbox 360/PS3/PC/DS/3DS/Wii/iOS/Android (Xbox 360 reviewed)
We all know that movie tie-in games don’t have that much luck at being very good, with the last great one probably being, funnily enough, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 hitting Game Cube, PS2 and Xbox, surprising fans by being a great game with impressive open-world gameplay mechanics and being incredible to web-swing through, so with the Amazing Spider-Man coming out, being developed by Beenox, it was taken with a pinch of salt.
Gaming News 25/06/12
Well, unfortunately we have to kick off today’s round of news with disappointment. Originally scheduled for a September release, those looking forward to the upcoming Far Cry 3 will now have to wait until November 29th, with the game not coming to the US until all the way on December 4th.
