UPCOMING GAME RELEASES:
The Escapists (PS4) - June 2
SUMMARY: Is a puzzle role-playing video game played from a top-down perspective. The game was developed by Mouldy Toof Studios and following a Steam Early Access release in 2014, was released in 2015 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. Players assume the role of an inmate and must escape from prisons of increasing difficulty.
REVIEWS: Generally favourable, praising the freedom of approach the game offered players, yet some were frustrated by the trial-and-error approach required to learn its systems.
GAME PLAY: Players assume the role of an inmate and goal is to escape prison. Players may acquire various tools to aid in their escape, by crafting them, bartering for them from other inmates, or by stealing them. Players can complete tasks for fellow inmates to improve their standing among them. Engaging in activities like exercise and study allows players to level up their characters, improving their abilities and their chance of escape. Players must avoid discovery by the prison guards, and so must follow the prison's daily routines, such eating prison meals. Players must be careful to hide their tools, as guards will periodically search the inmates' cells. If caught, the player is sent into solitary confinement, and their progress with the escape is reset.
Review scores
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Publication
|
Score
|
Game Informer
|
6/10
|
GameSpot
|
8/10
|
IGN
|
7.6/10
|
OXM
|
7/10
|
X-One
|
7/10
|
Heroes of the Storm (PC) - June 2
SUMMARY: A raucous online team brawler starring your favorite Blizzard Characters. Build and customize heroes from across every Blizzard Universe to suit your play style. Team up with your friends and engage in fast-paced mayhem across varied battlegrounds that impact strategy and change the way you play the game.
REVIEWS: 3.4 / 5 mmos.com
GAME PLAY: Heroes of the Storm is a game that revolves around online 5-versus-5 matches, operated through Blizzard's online gaming service Battle.net. Players can choose from three game modes, which include playing with/against computer-controlled heroes or other players. When players first start the game, they may only play 5-7 heroes provided by the free hero rotation, a methodically selected list that changes every week, but by using gold, an in-game source of wealth, or through microtransactions, they can gain permanent access to a hero. There are 36 heroes currently in the game divided into 4 separate roles.[6] Of the currently released maps, 6 of the 7 have the standard 3 main lanes where players can fight, while the exception, named Haunted Mines, has two main lanes but a separate objective-based area.[7] Killing enemy/neutral units and the opposing side's heroes grants experience points, which is shared with the entire team. When a certain experience threshold is reached for a team, each hero on that team level up, acquiring slightly amplified statuses and gaining a talent point upon reaching levels 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 20. Talent points allow players to customize their hero's abilities and generally result in large increase in power, especially for levels 10 and 20. This leveling system emphasizes the importance of teamwork, since a player's action can affect the whole team. Players can also mount different creatures, such as horses or unicorns, to increase their movement speed, automatically unmounting when dealing/receiving damage or using an ability. Minions at neutral camps can be defeated to gain mercenaries that fight for the player. Each map has a different side-objective that will help either team deal significant damage to the other.
The Elder Scrolls Online (Xbox One, PS4) - June 9
SUMMARY: The Elder Scrolls Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing video game developed by ZeniMax Online Studios. It was released on April 4, 2014 for Microsoft Windows, OS X and on Steam on July 17, 2014. It is a part of The Elder Scrolls action fantasy video game franchise, of which it is the first open-ended multiplayer installment.
On January 21, 2015, it was announced that an active subscription will not be needed to play the game effective March 17, 2015. The game was renamed to The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One console versions are due to be released on June 9, 2015.
As with other games in The Elder Scrolls franchise, the game is set in the continent of Tamriel and features a storyline indirectly connected with the other games. The Elder Scrolls Online had been in development for seven years before its release in 2014. It has received mostly mixed reviews.
REVIEW: The Elder Scrolls Online has received mostly mixed reviews; the game has a weighted aggregate rating of 70.93% on GameRankings, based on 46 reviews, and 71/100 on Metacritic, based on 63 reviews. PC Gamer gave the game a score of 68/100, writing that it is "an MMORPG of moderate scope with a few good ideas" but cautioning that "'okay' isn't good enough when you're facing down this much of a premium." The game was mainly criticized for an excess of bugs, a phasing mechanic that separated players from groups, and its Veteran Progression System. Zenimax has responded to these criticisms by fixing many bugged quests, introducing a new phasing mechanic that did not separate groups, and is currently working on a replacement for its Veteran System called the Champion System, scheduled for completion later in 2015. The system is being rolled out in phases, with the first having came in July 2014 tweaking game difficulty at Veteran Levels, the second in November 2014 that made leveling up from Veteran 1 to Veteran 14 more similar to the Level 1-50 experience, the third was released in March 2015 introducing a progression wheel where players can unlock special passives through Champion Points, and the fourth and final phase is to be rolled out later in 2015 which will remove Veteran Levels entirely, readjusting the maximum level in the game to 50.
Metro reported that The Elder Scrolls Online was the top-selling game in the United Kingdom for the week of April 5 for individual formats, and number two across all formats.The game had 772,000 subscribers in June 2014 according to SuperData Research. It was later reported in October 2014 by the same company that the game had generated around $111 million in subscription revenue, indicating that the game had about 1.2 million subscribers around that point.
As of April 3, 2015, the game has sold about 150,000 copies on Steam.
GAMEPLAY: Upon creating a character, players have access to four classes: Dragonknight, Templar, Sorcerer, and Nightblade. As in previous The Elder Scrolls titles, gameplay is mostly nonlinear, with a mixture of quests, random events, and free-roaming exploration of the world. The game does not provide a mode for single-player offline play, although the developers have stated that there will be "plenty of content" designed to accommodate players who prefer to play solo.
The player is able to play as numerous races such as Nords, Redguards, Bretons, Imperials, Dunmer (Dark Elves), Altmer (High Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves), Orsimer (Orcs), the cat-like Khajiit, and the lizard-like Argonians. The Elder Scrolls Online has a lot of character choices beyond those of race, such as the player character also being able to become either a vampire or a werewolf, each of which grants its own skill tree. As well as many different guilds in-game that the player can join, plus the PvP events.
Review scores
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Publication
|
Score
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Game Revolution
|
4/5
|
GameSpot
|
6/10
|
IGN
|
7.8/10
|
PC Gamer (US)
|
68/100
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Polygon
|
6.0/10
|
Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy (Vita) - June 9
SUMMARY: "Tokyo New World Record: Operation Abyss") is a dungeon crawler-role playing video game, developed in 2014 by Experience Inc. and published by MAGES and 5pb.Games in Japan and NIS America in Europe and North America. This game is exclusive to the PlayStation Vita, and will be compatible with PlayStation TV.
Kholat (PC) - June 10
SUMMARY: Narrated by one of the most popular british actors Sean Bean, Kholat is an exploration adventure game with elements of horror, inspired by true event known as Dyatlov Pass incident – mysterious death of nine Russian hikers, that led to countless, unconfirmed hypotheses. Player will dive directly into boundless scenery of inhospitable Ural Mountains, with task to find out what really happened. In the course of events you may approach even more question marks.
Will you find the answer?
Will you get any closer to the truth?
Will you survive?
Dyatlov Pass incident was a real story that happened in winter of 1959. Nine skilled alpinists went for a trip to the northern part of Ural Mountains, which ended fatally. Bodies of expedition's crew were found scattered on slope of Kholat Syakhl.
Russian investigators closed the case stating that "a compelling unknown force" had caused the deaths.
Features:
- self made story inspired by true events
- main storyline and a lot of background plot to be discovered by players
- non-linear open world
- in-game navigation by map and compass
- powered by Unreal Engine 4
- challenging exploration
- estimated game length: 4 - 6 hours
REVIEW: n/a
GAMEPLAY: n/a
Lego Jurassic World (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Wii, 3DS, Vita, PC) - June 12
SUMMARY: An upcoming 2015 Lego action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows. It will follow the plots of all four Jurassic Park films, including the upcoming Jurassic World. The game will be released the same day Jurassic World will be released, June 12, 2015. The game was first teased when a Tyrannosaurus appeared during the end credits of Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.
The game will incorporate a two-player cooperation mode. The player will have the choice of more than 100 playable characters, including more than 20 dinosaur species and also Mr.DNA
Each character has a special power. Voice clips for the game's characters were taken directly from the films. The game will feature 20 levels, with five levels based on each film. 2 Official Trailers has been released for this game.
REVIEW: n/a
GAMEPLAY: n/a
Payday 2: Crimewave Edition (Xbox One, PS4) - June 16
SUMMARY: Crimewave Edition brings Payday 2 to the new generation consoles on Xbox One & PlayStation 4 in June 2015. This was announced today by developer Starbreeze & publisher 505 Games. Twelve months worth of Downloadable Content will be packed into the new new-gen edition from the get-go; making it a huge value for gamers who’ve yet to jump into the online FPS world of Payday 2.
REVIEW: n/a
GAMEPLAY: Announced for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, this version of the game is expected to include many features and add-ons from the PC version of the game for the consoles. It is expected to release in June 2015. More information was given on the Starbreeze website stating that the Crimewave Edition will include all of the aforementioned DLC and graphical enhancements such as an improved framerate and texture quality. In the same announcement, the developers have stated that future updates will not arrive on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 citing hardware limitations as the reason.
Batman: Arkham Knight (Xbox One, PS4, PC) - June 23
SUMMARY: An upcoming action-adventure video game being developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One video game consoles, and Microsoft Windows. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the successor to Warner Bros. Games Montréal's 2013 video game Batman: Arkham Origins, and the fourth main installment in the Batman: Arkham series. Arkham Knight is expected to be released worldwide on June 23, 2015.
REVIEW: Batman: Arkham Knight received Game Informer 's award for Best Action Game seen at E3 2014 in June 2014. It also received IGN's Best Xbox One Game for their E3 2014 awards, while becoming runner up for Game of Show and Best PlayStation 4 Game. The 2014 Game Critics Awards awarded Arkham Knight as the Best Action/Adventure Game, while nominating it for Best of Show and Best Console Game. At the 2014 Golden Joystick Awards, Arkham Knight was nominated for Most Wanted game. In December 2014, the UK publication MCV reported that Arkham Knight was the most anticipated title for the region's retailers, ahead of Halo 5: Guardians, Evolve, The Order: 1886, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
GAMEPLAY: Written by Sefton Hill, Martin Lancaster, and Paul Crocker, Arkham Knight is based on the franchise's long-running comic book mythos. Set one year after the events of 2011's Batman: Arkham City, the game's main storyline follows Batman as he confronts the Scarecrow, who has launched an attack on Gotham City, causing a city-wide evacuation. Aided by the mysterious Arkham Knight, an original character created for the game, the Scarecrow unites Batman's greatest foes in a plot to finally kill the Dark Knight. The game is presented from the third-person perspective with a primary focus on Batman's combat and stealth abilities, detective skills, and gadgets that can be used in both combat and exploration. Arkham Knight also introduces the Batmobile as a playable vehicle, which can be used for transportation or combat. The game expands Batman's arsenal of gadgets and combat attacks and offers a more open world structure, allowing the player to complete side missions away from the primary storyline.
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Xbox One, PS4, PC) - June 23
SUMMARY: An action-adventure hack and slash video game developed and published by Capcom in 2008 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows platforms. The game is the fourth installment to the Devil May Cry series. It later on generated a handheld version released on iOS, titled Devil May Cry 4: Refrain. Chronologically, the game is set between the original Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2.
REVIEW: Devil May Cry 4 received positive reviews from critics. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 84.13% and 84/100, the Xbox 360 version 83.26% and 84/100 and the PC version 80.05% and 78/100.
GAMEPLAY: The story follows Nero, a teenager possessing demonic powers who is on a mission to stop the series' main character,Dante, after he assassinates demons from the The Order of the Sword including its leader. During the game, the player controls both Nero and Dante as they fight enemies in close combat using firearms, swords, and other weapons. Devil May Cry 4 was the first entry in the series to release for multiple consoles at the same time; during its development, Capcom focused on all versions achieving the same visual quality.
Review scores
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Publication
|
Score
|
1UP.com
|
A−
|
Edge
|
8/10
|
Famitsu
|
35/40
|
Game Informer
|
9/10
|
GameSpot
|
8/10
|
GameSpy
|
|
GameTrailers
|
8.6/10
|
GameZone
|
9 of 10
|
IGN
|
(PS3/X360) 8.7/10
(PC) 8/10
|
Hardcore Gamer
|
4.25 of 5
|
Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (PS4, PS3, PC) - June 23
SUMMARY: A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Microsoft Windows personal computer, developed and published by Square Enix. It is the fourteenth game in the main Final Fantasy series and the second MMORPG after Final Fantasy XI. The game takes place in the fictional land of Eorzea, amid rumors of a possible invasion by the Garlean Empire from the north. Players create and customize avatars who take on the role of adventurers in this troubled time. In addition to the threat of invasion, players investigate the truth behind a prophecy foretelling the fall of the lesser moon, Dalamud, and what role the empire might play in its descent. The nation states of Eorzea reestablish their Grand Companies and form an alliance to prepare for the coming war with the Empire.
REVIEW: The initial PC release of Final Fantasy XIV received mixed to negative reviews, up to the point where it was considered one of the worst video games of all time, until the reboot removed it from the list. Complaints ranged from it’s essentially broken structure to its numerous bugs and glitches, leading to a consensus that the game was unfinished, if not essentially unplayable from a practical standpoint.
GAMEPLAY: Final Fantasy XIV is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG. Like many in the genre, it requires a subscription to play the game, which is done via the Square Enix Account Management System. Players first create and customise a character, being able to select from various pre-selected options including race, gender, facial features, and job type. After selecting a character name and server to play on, they are placed into the game world, where they are free to partake in the game's story, explore the landscape, fight various monsters, complete quests and missions, and interact with other players. Unlike many Final Fantasy games, the player may choose to play in third- or first-person view.
Through defeating monsters, crafting items, and completing quests, players accumulate experience points (EXP) which, when a certain threshold is reached, automatically increments the player's level. The player's level affects attributes such as HP (health/hit points), MP (magic/mana points), and the amount of abilities available to them. By wielding different weapons and crafting tools, players are able to change their class, allowing them to switch roles in the field. Compared to Final Fantasy XI, group play has been de-emphasised, and solo play can be equally rewarding.
Review scores
|
Publication
|
Score
|
1UP.com
|
D+
|
Game Revolution
|
D
|
GameSpot
|
4.0/10
|
GameSpy
|
|
GameTrailers
|
4.2/10
|
IGN
|
5.5/10
|
PC Gamer (US)
|
30%
|
Ride (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3, PC) - June 23
SUMMARY: A motorcycle racing video game developed and published by Milestone S.r.l.. The game was released on March 27, 2015 in Europe, and it will be released on June 23, 2015 in North America for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3,PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.
REVIEW: Ride is at its best when it's just you vs. the tarmac. It's about how it feels to own a beautiful motorbike and take it out on race tracks or public roads. It echoes Gran Turismo in its reverence for the act of manipulating the controls of gleaming machines of speed, but as GT5 proved, that doesn't automatically make it a great game.
GAMEPLAY: The gameplay is very similar to F1 2014. It features all motorcycles launched until mid-2014. It also features some historic motorcycles from the mid-90s, 80s and early 2000s. Players control many aspects of real motorcycle riding like tucking in on high speeds, leaning forwards and backwards, controlling each brake individually. Manufacturers like Triumph, Ducati, Lightning, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Bimota are also in the game. Players start the world tour campaign with naked lightweight class of motorcycles. Apart from the main campaign there is also a Quick Race option and Elite trophies.
Review scores
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Publication
|
Score
|
GamesRadar
|
3/5
|
Metacritic
|
3.5/5
|
God is a Geek
|
8/10
|
Steam
|
7/10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J-Stars Victory VS+ (PS4, PS3, Vita) - June 30
SUMMARY: Fighting video game that combines the universes of several Weekly Shōnen Jump manga series, including former series and some that have been transferred to other magazines. It was released in Japan by Bandai Namco Entertainment on March 19, 2014 for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It will be re-released for western territories as J-Stars Victory VS+ for thePlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita, with an additional Arcade Mode for the international release. It will be released in stores for North America on June 30, 2015.
REVIEW: The game was given a review score of 32/40 by Famitsu. Following its first week of release, the PS3 version of the game sold 118,240 units in Japan while the Vita version sold 97,821 units. Japanese sales tracker Media Create reported that the PS3 version of the game sold through 86.55% of its shipment, while the Vita version sold through 89.25% of its shipment. For a multiplatform release, the Vita version did well, Media Create say.
Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku praised the game's roster for taking from many different series and how each character has a unique fighting style. However, he said that despite this each character plays the same, with strong, weak and knockdown attacks, and titled his review "J-Stars Victory VS Gets Real Old Real Fast." He also noted the lack of a meaningful plot in the story mode.
GAMEPLAY: The game's story mode, "J-Adventure," takes place in Jump World, an amalgamation of the different characters' universes. As the story begins, each of the characters is preparing for the J Battle Festival, a tournament held every 45 years in which heroes compete to determine who is the strongest. The narrative is split between four different chapters, each focusing on a different character exploring Jump World, building a team to compete, and working to achieve their own personal goals. The Motion Chapter focuses on Luffy, Ace, and Seiya; the Hope Chapter on Naruto, Yusuke, and Gon; the Research Chapter on Toriko, Zebra, and Goku; and the Pursuit Chapter on Ichigo, Oga, and Hiei.
