Killzone: Shadow Fall

Halo, for many PlayStation gamers, would seem to be an unobtainable franchise. Of course Microsoft would never port their precious baby to Sony's consoles, but that doesn't mean that Sony can't make their own first person IP. In 2004, Sony decided to do just that and released Killzone. With three PS3 releases and the obligatory PSP and Vita tie-ins under it's belt, the franchise has still never surpassed mediocrity. The mundane shooting mechanics and sloppy controls made many games of the series a pass for most consumers. With the new PlayStation 4 console, can the newest iteration of Sony's FPS franchise compete with Master Chief?

With Killzone Shadow Fall, you'll be playing as Lucas. You'll start his journey when he's just five years old and escaping his home to reach another part of his home planet. Without giving too much away, you'll be influenced to join the military to fight the good fight against the Helghast. Rising through the ranks within the appropriately named Shadow Academy, Lucas will become a Sam Fischer like special operations unit.

The highlight of the entire campaign is actually the very first mission. As Lucas you're sent in to blow up various buildings that are crucial to the Helghast. What makes this mission so special is the open landscape much like the original Halo. You can choose what objective to go after as soon as your boots hit the ground. This mission, like the others you'll find in Killzone Shadow Fall, is absolutely gorgeous. The way the trees sway and the light beams through the trees will make you glad you have a next generation console.

Unfortunately, after that very first mission, the rest of the campaign falls flat. With enough action movie clichés to make your eyes roll, Killzone Shadow Fall is essentially a video game version of a Michael Bay movie. Depending on what you think of that statement may ultimately sway your opinion about the game, but for me there wasn't any reason to play through the mundane campaign again other than finding lost secret documents to earn more trophies. Amazing visuals will only carry software so far.

Actually playing the game is also mixed bag. If you've played Halo, Battlefield, Call of Duty or even a Rainbow Six game, you'll feel right at home with the newest Killzone. Most of the controls feel identical to other hit shooters. One of my biggest gripes with the game is how heavy the guns actually feel while shooting. Turning your weapon left to right feels sluggish and unresponsive compared to other shooters. This unfortunately has plagued the series since the first game. There also wasn't enough variety when it came to actual weapons either, and what is available in the game's arsenal doesn't really sell the idea that this is all supposed to be taking place in the future.

What is new with Killzone is your robot companion the OWL. With your mechanical companion, you'll swipe the PlayStation 4's touchpad in various directions to command the OWL to do various tasks. You can send your droid to attack enemies, or even stun them with a massive EMP shock. When the fighting gets tense, the OWL was a great ally to have in the midst of battle. There are sections of the game when you can use the OWL to send out a zip line to either ascend or descent a high position. Unfortunately, I never used this more than five times during the single player campaign. It would've been nice to be able to use it more effectively during gameplay.

After you finish the entire campaign (about ten hours give or take) you'll find that Killzone Shadow Fall has a very narrow selection of alternative game modes, and is limited to either the single player campaign or online multiplayer. While playing the multiplayer mode, it quickly became apparent that this game has only the most standard online game types to choose from. The only highlight to online play was that the game's objectives would change mid-match. A novel concept, and well executed, just not enough to make the game's multiplayer stand out. It would've been nice to see them add some more customization options for a player's character other than which scope to choose for your gun. Overall, the entire package seems incredibly bland (gorgeous visuals aside), and it's painfully obvious that this game was a launch title.

As a first person shooter, Killzone Shadow Fall is the definition of average. Nothing other than the graphics really stood out to me. While this game doesn't rise above the rest of the pack, it plants enough seeds that lead me to believe the franchise's next effort will be better. That being said, if you are in the mood for a really good game for your new PlayStation 4, you can't go wrong with Infamous: Second Son.

Tales of Xillia

Ah Japanese RPG's, a staple of my gaming life. In Japan, the market is rife with such games (obviously that's why they're called JRPG's), but there's always been two major series among the countless titles in the genre: Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. There's also always been one series following right behind those two, and that would be the Tales series. Starting way back on the Super Famicom with Tales of Phantasia in 1995, the series has spawned 14 games in the main series, and 9 offshoots. With the newest North American release, Tales of Xillia 2 upon us, I wanted to check out the original Tales of Xillia title for PS3. After playing through this game extensively and logging in nearly 50 hours, I am feeling primed and ready for the sequel.

The game starts with the option to play the game as either Jude Mathis, a soft spoken goody-good medical student, or the mysterious Milla Maxwell. This will affect certain cutscenes and even some playable events throughout the game. Regardless of who you choose, you'll end up meeting an ensemble of characters, 6 playable in all. These characters develop and grow throughout the entire game. I found myself even going back to previous towns just to check up on characters that had a role earlier in the story, and was rewarded with reunion cutscenes, something I haven't seen before. It really makes you feel as if the characters are alive after the main story has passed them by.

Story has always been a strong suit for the Tales series, and it keeps up in Xillia. The main quest line is a roller-coaster of ups and downs, surprises and twists. The game had me on the edge of my seat just trying to mentally prepare myself for what was coming next. The story moves at a quick pace, but not to the point where you'll find yourself asking "Wait, what am I supposed to do now?", and even if you do sidetracked, the game has an "Event List" in which you can get a brief summary on the story and everything that has happened so far. The story is truly gripping and consistently interesting.

One thing that makes the Tales series different from the other two franchises I mentioned above is the combat. It may look like the same thing you've seen in a typical Final Fantasy game, but it won't take you long to realize what's so fantastic about the battle system. When engaging an enemy, the screen transitions to what Tales calls a battle map, four party members are there to take part in combat, but here's the kicker, the combat plays out like an action beat em up game with RPG elements like abilities and items mixed in. The combat is smooth and exciting, and battles only last from about 10 seconds to a minute, so you won't get tired of fighting field monsters or grinding levels like you might in a traditional turn-based RPG.

Most people would prefer the good before the bad, so I'll start with the good: the sound. The sound in this game is absolutely top notch. From the voice acting to the sounds of Jude's fist-mashing into enemies to the soundtrack; the sound in this game is captivating and I loved every second of it. I can't say enough good things about the voice cast on this game as every character talks with the appropriate emotions, whether it be happy, silly, sad or angry - they all work perfectly. My favorite voice on the cast would have to be the elderly Rowen as he truly sounds like the gentleman he portrays on the screen.

Sadly, I cannot give the same praise to the graphics. While I understand that this game was released two years ago in Japan, I feel that they could have polished some of the in game textures and cleaned the game up a bit. Sometimes the mouths wouldn't match up to the words, and other times the animation felt a tad bit delayed. One thing I can say is that the game features great anime cutscenes in the heat of the story. Just when things get to their most intense, Xillia brings the cinematics with some powerful and beautiful animated cinematics. Even though the in game graphics aren't the best, I can say that some of the areas in this game are breathtaking. I found myself taking a step back just to look in awe of the landscapes pretty often. Overall, the graphics aren't horrible, but they're not great either.

The game features many things to do after you've beaten the game, from hidden side-bosses, side-quests, to Alfried Treasure's to collect. Even after completing the story, I've managed to put in an additional 15 hours into the game. One notable extra is the additional dungeon, Magnus Zero. Not only is it a whopping twenty floors, but after you beat the boss at the end, you have the opportunity to go through it again at a harder difficulty.

Tales of Xillia is a solid buy for any RPG fan, and even if you only have a passing interest in the genre, this game deserves at least a look. The game gives you what you pay for: a 45+ hour long story with tons of optional gameplay on top of that. Overall, this game is a welcome addition to the wonderful Tales series, and I can't recommend it enough. Look for it at your local Slackers today!

Killer Instinct Season 2

"Killer Instinct Season 2" Gets Release Date for Xbox One

According to an announcement at Gamescon, "Killer Instinct Season 2" has received a release date. The game will be hitting the Xbox One on October 15 and has eight fighters, including Maya and TJ Combo. Once the game is released, gamers can choose to buy the Ultra Edition or the Combo Breaker Edition.

"Killer Instinct Season 2" Ultra and Combo Edition

The Ultra Edition for Season 2 will cost $39.99 and will come with eight fighters, accessory packs, fighter costumes, early access to new characters and a port of the old 1996 game "Killer Instinct 2." Anyone who buys the Ultra Edition between September 23 and October 14 will have access to TJ Combo immediately.

For those looking to spend a little less money, pick up the Combo Breaker Edition for $19.99. This bundle will still give players access to all of the fighters in Season 2, but they will not have access to the other extras. Each fighter for Season 2 will be rolled out once a month, for eight months.

Players who do not want to buy a package for Season 2 can still buy the new fighters individually for just $4.99. If they are planning to buy all eight, though, it's a better deal to buy either the Ultra Edition or Combo Breaker Edition.

Playable Demo Available NowThe bundle model for Season 2 shouldn't shock anyone. When Season 1 was announced, it followed a similar plan in which players could buy a Combo Breaker Pack or an Ultra Edition. The free version for Season 1 also served as a playable demo for the game, which can be picked up right now on Xbox Live. It only featured one playable character, Jago, but allowed players to try out all of the game modes. A lot of fighting games have started to use this model as of late because it allows players to buy only the characters they want rather than pay for characters that they won't use.

As an added bonus, the developers of the game confirmed that Mick Gordon is back to do the music for Season 2. They also confirmed that the "Killer Cuts" original soundtrack CD and the "Killer Instinct Season 1" CD will be released on September 23. It shouldn't be shocking that this is the same day that Microsoft is finally releasing the physical addition of Season 1. This physical edition will include all of the DLC that came out for Season 1, as well as early access to the Season 2 character, TJ Combo.

P.T. - The Next Generation of Horror

August has been a great month for horror fans with the release of the popular indie horror game Five Nights at Freddy's, which is a power-management puzzle game where animatronic robots provide you with jump-scares upon failure, and the remakes of both Metro games in Metro: Redux, which while not entirely horror games, have their creep atmospheres and clench-inducing moments.

On August 12th Sony and the fictitious company, 7780s studios, released a demo of sorts on the PlayStation Network that would soon go on to be revealed as a playable teaser for the next Silent Hill game, despite the "demo" being in first-person. Apart from the playable teaser being the first of its kind, and a fantastic marketing device, it also managed to be one of the best, and most terrifying, horror games I've ever played.

DoorsIn 2010 Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which is regarded as one of the best horror games ever made, was released and began somewhat of a surge of first-person horror games where the player would be defenseless, with nothing but a flashlight as their disposal to help them navigate the environment while avoiding being caught by the enemy, who would essentially be stalking you for the duration of the game.

What made amnesia such a terrifying experience for me was the feeling of dread that accumulated in me as I continued to play the game, and would stick with me for some time afterward. While I have enjoyed other lantern-style horror games, none quite got to me in that same way that the first Amnesia did, not even its sequel, until P.T.

WallsWhile it is just a teaser, the entire experience feels quite complete. Despite the short playtime, there's a lot of content here, a lot of which you don't even need to access to complete the game. The entire game takes place within a couple of halls in a house, whose ends are connected by doors, one of which is a portal to the other, leaving you to navigate them perpetually to solve the games puzzles.

Besides reaching the trailer at the end of the demo, there is no clear goal at any point. Even when you're solving the games strange puzzles, you're never really working towards any solution. All you know is that you're changing something in some way, but you never really know what, or why. There's something to be said about this kind of progression, I think it contributes greatly to what makes these types of games so scary. You're essentially forced to aimlessly wander through an area where you're constantly in fear of being "attacked", all while being incapable any action besides walking and looking. This remains a fantastic formula even despite the lack of any failure conditions.

WindowsThe environment is very beautiful, and looks very realistic, and is also very relatable. The house, while messy and inhabited by variable amount of cockroaches, looks very much like a place most of us have been to, or are very familiar with. I'm sure most of us as kids have had experiences running through a similar environment to our rooms, having convinced ourselves that some kind of paranormal entity has decided to chase us once we turned off the lights. Turning around would be terrifying, as it often is in P.T., especially when the radio host abruptly stops reciting the news to begin saying "look behind you".

The sound design is fantastic. Another thing I feel Amnesia really nailed in the terror department was the sound, and few recent horror games have come close in this regard. P.T. has an abundance of different sounds that define its wonderful atmosphere, and can change your mood from calm to terrified without even requiring you to take a step. The intermittent music is very unsettling, especially when coupled with equally intermittent cries and murmurs. Much of the story is conveyed to you by a radio host, who as mentioned before, seems to address you personally at times.

P.T. may be a short experience, requiring just over an hour to complete with a little help from the internet, but it is a very important game for the horror genre. Almost every aspect of the game is beautifully executed. Indie and major developers alike need not look much further than this to have an abundance of information on what makes a first-person horror game truly terrifying. It is a masterpiece of the genre.

Bungie's Destiny Release Woes, A Production Stumble Or Marketing Stunt

At heart I am a video gamer and I think I have a good idea of what a gamer wants out of their games. Smooth controls, sweet graphics, a great immersive story that doesn't hog up the screen that includes a skip button, and most recently added... responsive online game play with voice communication. A gamer can't really ask for more than that but we always find ourselves looking at developers asking them what the next big thing is. Destiny is trying to bring something new and shiny to our table. The question on everybody's mind is whether or not that new shiny thing is going to be worth all that hype. Wait a second though, where did all the hype come from.

That's right. As a person that is pretty skeptical about things in business, I find it hard to believe that a game that has absolutely been in development for 2 years but potentially 5 years decided to take a server dump 8 hours after its release. I don't believe that. My question is who has the most to gain from this type of indecent? The marketing team. Ask yourself when there is good new vs bad news, which grows faster and sticks in the mind longer? Chances are you still remember that juicy secret someone whispered in your ear while on the school bus in the third grade. I'm sorry, dirty secrets just have a higher retention rate in the memory, so good news doesn't really go quite as far.

I have seen people do it tons of times. Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV music awards is a great example. It was so outrageous that everyone was talking about it, even people who didn't listen to her music. It is the move of a marketing genius... if a person can pull it off without it going rampant. What I mean by that is that if the plan goes so crazy it backfires. Even in a world full of moving pictures and audio streams trying to invade our minds, word of mouth is still the most effective way to get information out to the world. So for those few brave individuals willing to put their career on the line in the name of marketing, they can achieve exposure up to 200 percent higher when coupled with some bad news. Every marketing technique in the trade put together can't produce results like that if given the same amount of time.

On the other hand, Destiny is doing a lot of new things that require many things to run perfectly all the time. It is incredibly likely that one minor thing that was overlooked caused many of the issues seen during the launch. Maybe the deadlines are to stiff and big business is pushing a developers need to produce good quality games aside in favor of money. Even after an "official" reason is publish, all that's left is speculation. All I know is that the game is smooth as silk, but doesn't really seem to deliver anything ground breaking. These little hiccups in server connectivity leave me feeling like I just had to return my new computer the same day I brought it home. I don't not want the game, I am just disappointed but still hopeful to see huge improvements once all the bugs are fixed.

Whether or not it was intentional, Bungie's Destiny has me in the magic bubble of hope. The foundation and idea of the game are so good that once the game is at it best, it should be amazing. Plus there is the added effect of feeling like an under dog story. At the end of the day all the hype, both good and bad have given the game more exposure in the market. All they have to do now is make sure that when the veil is lifted, that destiny is running at 100 percent so it can deliver the goods and rock our socks off.

Diablo III The Ultimate Evil Edition

I can't believe I did it again. I bought Diablo 3 for the fourth time! I've purchased both the PC original and its expansion, and now I've done the same with the console versions. Obviously, I am huge fan of the Diablo series, but pretty much anything Blizzard is amazing. With this developer, quality is insured. Granted, when Diablo 3 first came out on the PC there were problems everywhere, but the fundamental gameplay was still astonishingly fun. With Diablo: Reaper of Souls now available for home consoles, Blizzard has fixed literally every problem with the game thus far. You're in for a treat.

If you're a newcomer of the Diablo franchise, the game is a dungeon crawling action-RPG. What this means, is that you (or you and your friends) will be hunting Demons, Undead and various beasts across the world of Sanctuary. The fundamental gameplay objective of the player is to make his or her character as powerful as possible. Which happens via gear upgrades and character ability customization. What's great about this rendition of Diablo 3, is that it comes with the recently released expansion pack, Reaper of Souls. The expansion adds multiple hours of game play, and even another playable character class, the Crusader.

Unfortunately, if you're looking for an epic and engaging RPG story, Diablo 3 and its expansion disappoint. There's a bevvy of cheesy lines, eye-roll inducing clichés, and you can smell the betrayals a mile away. The story in Reaper of Souls' additional fifth act is moderately better, but it still suffers from general predictability. One highlight though, you'll find out more lore about your computer controlled AI companions with special quests. These were fun, and added more depth and backstory to characters that felt tacked on in the original standalone version.

Gameplay in Diablo: Reaper of Souls is refined to an almost perfection. Most of the moves with all 6 classes feel polished and were a blast to execute. For instance a powerful Mage spell will rip or explode enemies across the screen, or you could find the Barbarian class slashing and hacking demon's heads off. It's gruesome, fun and engaging. The best addition to the console releases is the same room, four player co-op. It harkens back to the days of you and your friends sitting on the same couch and spending all afternoon playing something like Goldeneye or Halo on the same screen. The framerate never slows down and the quick button taps still allows your characters to equip and access all of your abilities. The console version's game play is by far the highlight of Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition.

With either the PlayStation or Xbox controllers, you'll find the moves are mapped out to your liking. I never felt gimped or at a disadvantage while playing on these controllers instead of the more precise keyboard and mouse set-up. The game feels much more like a Gauntlet type, fun-for-all experience, rather than a hardcore action-RPG by one of the most serious developers out there. Exclusive on all the console versions is the ability to flick the right thumbstick in any direction to initiate a summersault with your character. This added maneuverability is a godsend for the console version, because it lacks the accuracy of the PC controls.

Of course, the main meat and potatoes of the Diablo series is ability to replay the entire campaign on a more difficult setting for better rewards. You can still do that with Diablo: Reaper of Souls but my favorite new addition is Adventure Mode. Once you complete the campaign, you'll unlock access to this feature. Basically, your hero is tasked with going around all of the different acts of Diablo 3 and Reaper of Souls to engage in different bounties and objectives littered around the map. You'll find amazing rewards in the form of armor and weapons. You can also open Nephalem Rifts to get even greater rewards. I loved Adventure mode and I found it less boring than repeating the same storyline over and over again.

Also new with Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition is the Nemesis system. While playing the PlayStation 4 version of the game, I found a powerful demon that I've never encountered before. Basically, one of my friends on the PSN was killed by this creature and it joined my game even stronger. Upon avenging my friend's death, the creature dropped gratuitous amounts of loot. I could even send some back to my friend with a click of the button. This was a nice extra feature, and makes things even more exciting on the battlefield.

Obviously, I love Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition. It's a must own if you have any of the four systems that it has been released on, Of course, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One versions with their better textures, resolutions and overall performance is the way to go. If you've yet to enter the land of Sanctuary, Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition is the definitive version to buy. Look for it at your local Slackers today, and prepare to be addicted.