Released on October 25th 2013, Batman: Arkham Origins was the third main entry of the infamous Arkham series. It was a prequel to Arkham Asylum, taking place in a period of time where Batman is still in the process of meeting his deadliest enemies for the first time. Arkham Origins was meant to be the culmination of the task which began in Arkham Asylum and continued in Arkham City, to take the best elements of both stealth and action genres and have them married in a beautiful, bat-filled ceremony. The finest elements of both games should have merged with clear references to the twisted, iconic asylum of the first game as well as the giant urban prison of the second. The main question everyone was asking however – did this game live up to the infamous ‘Arkham’ reputation?
By Ben Mapp
Released on October 25th 2013, Batman: Arkham Origins was the third main entry of the infamous Arkham series. It was a prequel to Arkham Asylum, taking place in a period of time where Batman is still in the process of meeting his deadliest enemies for the first time. Arkham Origins was meant to be the culmination of the task which began in Arkham Asylum and continued in Arkham City, to take the best elements of both stealth and action genres and have them married in a beautiful, bat-filled ceremony. The finest elements of both games should have merged with clear references to the twisted, iconic asylum of the first game as well as the giant urban prison of the second. The main question everyone was asking however – did this game live up to the infamous ‘Arkham’ reputation? By Ben Mapp Back in 2004, Fable gave a surprising and interesting take on the fantasy genre. It was often inventive. But never innovative. It was clumsily made in fact with a strict targeting system, clunky gameplay and an even more dire control scheme, as well as splurging a rather uncreative storyline when compared to other fantasy RPG’s. Anyone who has ever played a fantasy game knows that complex stories can be mesmerising when done properly (Dragon Age: Origins anyone?), but Fable never once attempted it within its own narrative. Fable’s story felt safe with very little risk taken on behalf of the characters or in-game events, but in its own way, this was fine. This was just Fable. It was just how Fable was. By Ben Mapp. Red Dwarf is a British sitcom set in space produced by the BBC, and features Craig Charles as Dave Lister, the last surviving human, who sets out to return to Earth after a prolonged sleep in cryo-stasis. The show also starred Chris Barrie as a hologram of Lister’s dead bunk-mate, a servant ‘mechanoid’ called Kryten played by Robert Llewellyn, and a rebellious life-form that evolved from Lister’s cat played by Danny John-Jules. The show originally ran from 1988 to 1999 before being discontinued in favour of a live-action film (which never transpired). The franchise eventually returned to British television on Dave in 2012 with a new series, entitled Red Dwarf X (the tenth series if we are to count the 2009 three-part-story ‘Back to Earth’ as Series IX). By Ben Mapp As a kid I was surrounded by 16-bit consoles. The Sega Mega-Drive stands out clearly in my mind. Oh how we loved Sega… The Dreamcast was Sega’s last attempt at a video game console, and it was launched in 1999. It was therefore the final console of the twentieth century, and it lived a short but happy life. by Ben Mapp, Josh Crooks, William John, Luke Kirby, Carla Hodge and Paul Robert Scott Having a franchise as large and genre spanning as Star Wars has led to some incredible video games to come out of the Star Wars cannon. Here we list our personal fav's in the hope of giving you the reader something good to play on this most geeky holiday. May the forth be with you! by Ben Mapp That is the question. The battle for the eighth generation of console gaming began in November 2012 with Nintendo’s entry, the Wii U (successor to their hugely popular Wii system). Having played the console myself (through my flatmate's console) I can verify that, although the console is designed for group gameplay, it is a worthy experience and certainly provides hours of fun just like other consoles. It also offers a unique type of immersion very different to any of its rivals. Nintendo have described this style of innovative gameplay as "asymetrical". by Ben Mapp Every once in a while a story comes along and just makes you smile. In 1983 a rumour was started that Atari had all of the unsold editions of their E.T. video game adaptation buried in the desert in an attempt to forget all about the game’s appalling reception and even more appalling sales. by Ben Mapp It’s that time of year again, folks! It comes as no surprise to anyone that Assassin’s Creed will be returning at the end of the year. The series follows the fictionalised history of an ongoing war between two factions (the Assassins and the Templars), and has had its fair share of leaks in the past. Concept art for both Assassin’s Creed III and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag had been leaked online in the weeks before its official announcement. by Ben Mapp Over the last year it has been revealed that game franchises such as Ratchet & Clank, Assassin’s Creed and The Last of Us will be receiving the big screen treatment. With that in mind, we have decided to offer some casting guidance to other big brand developers who may also be considering the transition from game to film. We feel that as lovers on both games and films it is therefore our duty to ensure that future movies based on games should only be done if they are done right. by Ben Mapp Following a stumble on the official Game website where they inadvertently leaked some of the details, Warner Bros Interactive Studios decided to finally lift the veil on what Rocksteady have been working on in secret. Last year saw the release of the highly-anticipated Arkham Origins, which served as a disappointing prequel to both Arkham Asylum and its follow-up. The game fell short of expectations and didn’t expand on the franchise in any defining way. However everyone who knows anything about the game recognises that Rocksteady had little involvement in its production, and therefore it was always suspected that they might have a next-gen weapon hidden up their sleeve. |
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GamesReviews and discussions on the latest games, as well as some classics. Whether you're partial to the PS3, the Xbox 360, or the PC, I guarantee the Games section will have something to keep you entertained and intrigued. Archives
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