Category: Ben Mapp

War Photographer enters The Last of Us

9/16/2014

By Ben Mapp

Ashley Gilbertson is a war photographer based in New York whose work has seen him travel into the harsh battle zones of Iraq between 2002 to 2008, who currently works for Time Magazine. He was tasked with playing through The Last of Us Remastered for the PlayStation 4, utilising the game's new photo-taking mechanic with the objective of capturing the protagonists, Joel and Ellie, as they meander through the ruins of North America in a post-apocalyptic vision of the future.

Anticipated Games - Hyrule Warriors

9/14/2014

By Ben Mapp

This Friday finally sees the western release of the hotly-anticipated Hyrule Warriors for the Wii U, which features the hack n' slash gameplay style of the popular Dynasty Warriors series, mixed in with characters, weapons and settings from the iconic Legend of Zelda franchise.

The game has already enjoyed moderate success over in Japan where it released last month, but will it help the Wii U get ready to sell this Christmas?

IWG's seven most anticipated games

9/11/2014

The IWG Games Team

As the last generation of gaming moves sluggishly towards its ultimate end and allows the eras of the PlayStation 4, Wii U and Xbox One to truly begin, some of our writers have banded together to provide you their thoughts on some of our most anticipated games across all platforms.

Check 'em out!

Microsoft might be buying Mojang

9/10/2014

The IWG Games Team

Microsoft created some controversial waves last month when they announced that Rise of the Tomb Raider would be a 'holiday exclusive' for Xbox One when it releases in Christmas 2015. At first the announcement received a mixed reaction, but eventually the company gave in and revealed that the exclusivity of the title was timed (and that the game would eventually see the expected multiple platform release). That puts Microsoft toe-to-toe with Sony once again, only Sony have Uncharted 4: A Thief's End in the wings, which is a complete exclusive (since Sony owns the developer Naughty Dog). So to get ahead, Microsoft certainly need to get some more exclusives. Halo and Gears of War simply won't cut it anymore.

Saints Row IV retrospective #3 - How The Saints Save Christmas

9/6/2014

By Ben Mapp

‘You can’t just murder your way onto the Nice List you know...’ Right you are, Santa. But we can sure as hell try. How the Saints Save Christmas begins as any good DLC should with Jane Austen recounting the apparently final, festive adventure of the Third Street Saints.

Saints Row IV retrospective #2 - Enter the Dominatrix

9/3/2014

By Ben Mapp

You could write a whole case study on the development of Enter the Dominatrix. It was originally announced as a DLC for Saints Row the Third, but with the option to be sold separately too (like Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare). It would have served as its own separate experience from Saints Row the Third. The story of Enter the Dominatrix featured the Saints of Steelport under attack by aliens led by Lord Zinyak.

Saints Row IV - Gat Out of Hell (announced)

8/30/2014

By Ben Mapp

2013 sure was an incredible year for video games. So many unforgettable titles were released; Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, Bioshock Infinite, Grand Theft Auto V, The Last of Us… So when we say that Saints Row IV was amongst our personal favourites, you know it is a high compliment indeed. You can check out our review of the game right here.

IWG character study - Haytham Kenway (Assassin's Creed III)

8/19/2014

By Ben Mapp

Assassin’s Creed: Rogue is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 this November, and joining the new protagonist Shay in his conquest of the North Atlantic during the Seven Years’ War is veteran character and a fan-favourite from Assassin’s Creed III, Haytham Kenway. Whilst Haytham’s involvement in the game might only be minor (although hopefully it isn’t), we’re taking a look back and why exactly his character is so damn likeable. After all he is the son of a legendary pirate, the father of a naïve Assassin, and a ruthless agent of the ancient Templar Order. Whatever you might think of Assassin’s Creed III, one thing that most people seem to agree on is that the addition of Haytham was a damn good move. There’s nothing quite like a volatile villain with a strong British accent and an affection for Native American ladies to let you know exactly who you’re fighting, but Haytham as a character is anything but two-dimensional.

Dude Raider vs. Tomb Raider

8/13/2014

By Ben Mapp

Yesterday, the internet went a bit mad, or at least the gaming side of it did. Square Enix made a surprise move that Rise of the Tomb Raider, the next-gen sequel to last year’s stunning reboot, will be a Microsoft exclusive. The tears of PlayStation 4 owners have created rogue waves in the ocean of consoles and, whilst the reasoning behind the decision might be somewhat vague – All anyone can do at this point is rage against the announcement, and rightly so. However, Sony will be getting their own exclusive in the form of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (presumably around the same time as Rise of the Tomb Raider), and so we’re using this as an excuse to dive a little deeper into the similarities between last year’s Tomb Raider, and 2007’s Uncharted.

Remastered! - Returning to the Classics

7/19/2014

The IWG Games Team

Recently a number of games have received a bit of an upgrade for the next gen consoles. With remastered editions of Tomb Raider and The Last of Us now available, and looking better than ever, it seems a good time to consider other possible games that ought to be given a little tender loving care.

We've put our heads together and chosen some of our favourite titles which we'd love to see in full HD glory.

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