Uncharted 4 Survival Arena - New Co-Op Multiplayer Mode Officially Coming! - AcornVision News Drop

Mass Effect: Andromeda Gameplay Reveal - Trailer Analysis / Breakdown with Sir_Alan_

 

Uncharted 4 Co-Op Survival Mode Reveal - Trailer Analysis / Breakdown with Sir_Alan_

Uncharted 4 Multiplayer Reveal - Trailer Analysis / Breakdown with Sir_Alan_

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - Zombies Mode Reveal - Trailer Analysis

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - E3 2015 Live Stage Gameplay Demo - Trailer Analysis

Rise of the Tomb Raider - E3 2015 Live Stage Gameplay Demo - Trailer Analysis (sort of)

Trailer Analysis - Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - Official Campaign Reveal

Earlier in the week the 2015 Call of Duty title was officially announced and to probably no-ones surprise, it was confirmed to be Black Ops 3 and is being produced by Treyarch. Anyone who's visited this blog before and/or watched some of my videos will already know that I am a pretty big fan of CoD (well, until the last two titles anyway), so this was always going to be a trailer analysis that I look forward to doing. 

> Link to the CoD: BO3 Official Reveal Trailer

> Link to the CoD: BO3 Trailer Analysis Video

What did you think of the reveal trailer? Let me know below :)

★ Pre-Order Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 on Amazon >> http://amzn.to/1LFPAu6

Trailer Analysis - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Gameplay Demo PlayStation Experience 2014

Following on from last weeks Trailer Analysis of the Uncharted 4 teaser/reveal trailer, this week I've covered the exteneded gameplay demo, that was shown at the PlayStation Experience towards the end of 2014. As far as I know the footage is captured from a PS4 and the content is likely to have been taken directly from the campaign, so those adverse to spoilers, approach with caution.

> Link to the UC4 Original Gameplay Demo

> Link to the UC4 Gameplay Demo Trailer Analysis Video


What did you think of the gameplay demo? Let me know below :)

Trailer Analysis - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - E3 2014 Campaign Teaser/Reveal

It's been a while since I've made a Trailer Analysis video but I'm happy to announce that the series is back and hopefully I'll be able to post videos on a more regular basis. To start the year off, I'll be talking about one of my most anticipated games of the year, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

> Link to the Original Trailer

> Link to the Trailer Analysis Video 

Call of Duty: Ghosts - E3 All Access Event [Gameplay Footage and Analysis Inside]

Yesterday Activision held a special presentation for their upcoming new game, Call of Duty: Ghosts, which felt like a direct follow up to the reveal trailer released a couple weeks back. While most developers are happy enough to be showcasing at the E3 event, Activision decided it wanted to (unofficially) kick off the expo and hosted an 'All Access' event a day before the convention doors opens because they wanted to "bring E3 to our fans" (the ones who couldn't make it).. The whole show lasts for about 30 minutes and you can watch it below, YouTube does require you to log in to view it but if you can't be bothered with that, there are a few other versions floating around, though none as good in terms of visual quality. There's a bit of chatter between the presenters (Jeff Keighley and Justine Ezarik) with the various people from Activision and Infinity Ward but it's mostly introducing or discussing the three video clips. The first two videos show footage taken from separate missions and the third one is sort of a preview of the entire game, I highly suggest you read my summary of the third video (below) before you decide if you want to watch it because some people might consider the clips as campaign spoilers. As per usual I provide a round up summary/analysis after the video, though in all honesty the footage shown is pretty clear cut but if you're still interested in my thoughts, be sure to scroll past the video, enjoy.

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time! Reveal Trailer Released [Video and Analysis Inside]

It's been a long four years since the first Plants vs. Zombies game hit shelves but finally the sequel is nearing launch, PopCap have stated a July (2013) release but a solid date has yet to be announced. With a title that is seemingly mocking itself for the ludicrous production time, the game appears to be centred around the aspect of time travelling. You can check out the reveal trailer for yourself below and then if you're interested, I do a personal in depth analysis of the footage, which you can read further down, enjoy.

Call of Duty: Ghosts Reveal Trailer Released [Video and Trailer Analysis Inside]

Today at the Microsoft reveal event of the new Xbox console (the 'Xbox One' - summary article coming soon), we were shown the reveal trailer to Call of Duty: Ghosts. During the conference we were also told a few things about the new game, the most noteworthy (though not entirely surprising) points were that it will be running on a new next-gen engine and it is definitely a completely new storyline with fresh characters, one of which is a dog. I'll discuss more about the trailer in my analysis below but something that isn't clearly mentioned/shown in trailer is that the game takes place 10 years after America has been devastated by (an as yet unknown) event. Anyway, I've linked the video below and done a Trailer Analysis afterwards, enjoy.

A Guide On How To Complete Solo Matches On ME3 MP (Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum) - Part 2 of 2

Welcome to the second part of my guide on how to complete solo matches on Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, if you missed the first part you can catch up by going here. To recap what I covered in part one and what I'll be covering today, please check out the contents list below:

Contents

---------------------------------- [ In Part 1 ] ----------------------------------
1) Enemy Faction
2) Map Choice
3) Class & Character Kit
4) Weapon Selection
5) Gear & Equipment
---------------------------------- [ In Part 2 ] ---------------------------------- 
6) Game Tactics
- 6A) Survival Waves

A Guide On How To Complete Solo Matches On ME3 MP (Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum) - Part 1 of 2

Welcome to my second guide for Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, while I'm still not quite fully rested from writing my very lengthy A Beginners Guide To Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer earlier this year XD, I've decided to create this article to help those that are contemplating doing solo runs. Despite being called a "Beginners Guide", there's lots of information in that other article, which I acquired many months after I started playing, so seasoned veteran or not, I think it'll be worth checking out before continuing with this guide. I personally don't find solo matches all that fun to be honest and the only reason I made an effort to complete them, was so that I could check off the 'Solo Mastery' section in the MP Challenges list. I don't think the default version of the banner is the greatest looking one available (though the Fem-Shep alternative is pretty decent) but some people do view it as the ultimate achievement in MP, unless of course you achieved the 'Best of the Best' banner as a result of completing it. Like all the MP Challenges, the 'Lone Wolf' banner is something that can eventually be achieved if you spend enough time playing the game, how much time you need to spend playing, will of course depend on your level of ability. If you're reading this article, the chances are you're here because you need Solo Mastery in order to obtain the BotB banner or like me, you just wanted to complete the ultimate test of your Mass Effect 3 multiplayer skills. Well, whatever the reason you're here, I hope this article provides you with the advice and guidance that you're searching for :)

New 2013 Call of Duty Title Officially Announced, CoD: Ghosts Coming 5th November [Teaser Trailer and Analysis Inside]

There were several leaks in the last week with many outlets posting various listings on their websites promoting the, as of then, yet to be announced 2013 Call of Duty title. Well as of today, Activision have officially confirmed that the new game will be called Call of Duty: Ghosts, details are very thin on the ground at the moment but I expect you'll soon hear all sorts of rumours from everyone and their mother. As you can see from the title image, a reveal will take place on the 21st of May at the new Xbox 720 reveal event but if you're game enough, many places are already offering you the ability to pre-order. I'm not really sure why you'd want to pre-order something you've only seen a title for but I suppose I'd be lying if I didn't say it's almost a certainty that I myself will be purchasing CoD: Ghosts at some point after launch. Ghosts is confirmed for this generation of consoles, what is less clear is whether it'll be also be available for the next generation of consoles, probably not a concern for most of us XD

Awakened Collector - Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Character Discussion and Review

Awakened Collector

I can't believe it's been nearly half a year since I wrote my first Mass Effect 3 multiplayer character review and now here I am, about to start my last one! It's a bitter sweet moment, on the one hand I'm now free to leave the world of ME3 MP and start going through my backlog of unplayed games but on the other hand, I am going to miss putting new characters through their paces. There's at least two more ME3 MP articles in the pipeline but those won't be character reviews (obviously) and will probably be my last for the Mass Effect franchise (until ME4), that is unless something major happens in the future for ME3. Anyway, this week I'll be discussing the final Reckoning DLC kit, the Awakened Collector; classified as an Adept and he brings to the fight two new powers in the form of Dark Sphere and Seeker Swarms, with the standard Dark Channel being the third. You know it's sort of funny how things work out, when I first started playing Mass Effect 3 I wasn't big on using powers to rack up kills, preferring instead to just shoot everything with my gun/s. Weeks and months later, I finally got a taste for destroying enemies with crazy exploding power combos and it was good *nods*. These days I can happily go through a match barely shooting my weapon but still doing some serious damage to the enemy in the process. Adepts as a class have been a true surprise to me, I'm not usually into all this science fiction lark but there's just something incredibly satisfying about using Biotics to obliterate enemy spawns :D The question is, does the Awakened Collector increase my options when I'm selecting kits for Biotic Explosions or is he a disappointing dud?

Unlike last weeks character review of the Geth Juggernaut and the Talon Mercenary before him, who both took a bit of time to figure out, I think the Awakened Collector is a much more straightforward kit to play. I'll go into much more detail later on of course but as always, we start by covering the powers. First up is Dark Channel, it's exactly the same on this kit as it is for the others that have access to it, namely the N7 Fury and Asari Huntress Infiltrator (AHI). Just in case you don't know what it does I'll give you a quick run down, basically when you use the power, it will hit an enemy unit with a lingering Biotic field. This field can not be dodged by enemies because it's an instant affect power, it will do steady damage over a set amount of time and best of all, if it kills the afflicted unit, it has the ability to "jump" to a nearby target. By default it's not that lethal (on Gold+) but if you choose to spec it for full damage, it can kill basic troops within a few seconds and it's also great for weakening bosses. If I'm busy clearing up crowds of low level troops I'll usually hit a boss with DC, so that when I'm done dealing with said troops, I can then take on the boss and already have the first layer of defence dealt with i.e. Phantoms and Banshees will have most (if not all) of their Barrier destroyed. DC suffers heavily against shields and isn't soo strong against health either but it is very devastating to Armour and even more so to Barriers. So in light of this, you'll want to strip enemies of their shields before using the power and perhaps land a few shots with your weapon to just speed up the killing of unprotected troops. Unlike other Biotic powers, DC can only act as a primer, that is to say you can detonate it with another Biotic power for a Biotic Explosion but you can't use it to detonate another power for a combo.

Geth Juggernaut - Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Character Discussion and Review

Geth Juggernaut

The penultimate new kit from the Reckoning DLC is the Geth Juggernaut and he might just be the most unique character ever to be introduced to the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. If you've played online at all since said DLC went live, I'm willing to bet that you've already seen quite a few Geth Juggernauts in action and will know what makes him soo "special". On the off chance you're one of the very few people who don't yet know, the GJ is the only character in the game that can not be sync-killed! This means he won't be picked up by Banshees/Atlases, stabbed by Phantoms, eaten by Praetorians or slammed by Brutes/Scions. Funnily enough the title "Juggernaut" is actually a pretty accurate description of the character itself, he's nearly twice as tall as any of the human kits and moves as slow as an elderly Krogan, the only discrepancy is the fact that depending on how you spec him, he's not really that tanky. Speaking of Krogans, the GJ moves even slower than the Krogan Warlord and also can't vault or use cover. The Geth Juggernaut brings two new powers to the game: Hex Shield and Siege Pulse, with the existing Geth Turret making up the third. Unfortunately like last weeks character, the Talon Mercenary, the Geth Juggernaut is one of those kits that the majority of players (that I've witnessed), don't quite seem to know how to effectively utilise his skill sets. Readers of previous reviews will know my views on slow moving characters but it might surprise you to hear that despite the fact the GJ moves at a snails pace, I managed to have a bit of fun while testing him out.

I'll get around to explaining in more detail later on but as always, I'll begin by covering the powers. First off is the Hex Shield, as the name suggests it's a deployable shield that takes the shape of a hexagon (i.e. it's six sided), I believe it's based on the ones that were in ME1 campaign. By default it's pretty durable (at 2000 health points) and will soak up a fair amount of damage before it break, it's as tall as the Geth Juggernaut and is just wide enough to block any shots fired directly at him. The Hex Shield should block all incoming enemy ordinance, whether it's small arms fire from foot soldiers or power attacks from bosses, I think it also stops grenades but those tend to bounce around after landing, so there's always the chance it can still hit you. Currently I've specced my Hex Shield with: Pulse, Duration and Damage Synergy. I think picking Shield Strength is unnecessary because the cooldown time is pretty fast, so if I need another it's not that big a deal to plonk a new one down. While the Pulse evolution might not be really damaging (400 at base value), it does have it's uses, for example if you start to get swarmed you can back up and place the shield, the electric pulse that is then generated can stun several enemies and buy you that extra second or so to recover. On smaller maps and in particular at choke points, you could spam the Hex Shield to take advantage of the electric pulse, if you've got a low enough cooldown time it's actually pretty good for keeping small crowds of enemies pinned down.

Talon Mercenary - Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Character Discussion and Review

Talon Mercenary

And so we reach the half way mark, three Reckoning DLC character kits reviewed and three more to go, well technically two after today but you know what I mean lol This weeks article is on the Talon Mercenary, classified as an Engineer, he brings to the fight three brand new powers in the form of Cain Trip Mines, Armour Piercing Arrows and Concussive Arrows. In another first for ME3 MP, every single one of his powers are based on grenade count, so each time you use a power it will consume a grenade (and of course you can only carry a limited number). If you read last weeks character review of the Krogan Warlord, you'll know that he's a melee centric character and that most of your damage output will come from charging his hammer with powers then releasing them via heavy melee. Well if you enjoyed that style of play, I think you're gonna like the Talon Mercenary but unfortunately if you didn't like it that much, this guy might not be your cup of tea either. But having said that, unlike the KW, the TM wasn't designed with purely CQC engagements in mind, I think his powers are just as powerful at point blank range as they are from across the map (though considerably less reliable). Due to the stupid button mapping (and lack of custom options), I'm generally not a big fan of any attacks or character kits that require me to release control of the right stick and dash button more often than not, so at first glance I already have my reservations about the TC. But I've been pleasantly surprised with one or two character reviews in the past, so the question is, does the Talon Mercenary join these select few or does he get dumped on my ever growing pile of "meh" kits?

As always we begin with a brief analysis of the powers. The Cain Trip Mines are exactly what it says on the label, they're placeable mines that detonate once an enemy has interrupted the trip laser and they seriously cane anything that gets caught in the blast radius :P If I'm not mistaken they are the most damaging of any of the explosive based powers currently available in MP, by default each mine has a generous impact radius of 5 meters and does a whopping 1200 points to health, 1800 points to Shields/Barriers and 2700 to Armour! Both the damage and radius of the mines can be increased fairly significantly and if you then factor in the potential for additional damage bonuses via the kits passives, you're looking at some crazy killing potential. You can plant up to three mines at any one time and they'll stay active until an enemy triggers it to go off or you place a fourth mine, which will then cause the first planted mine to explode on it's own. The mines are particularly useful for locking down choke points on a map, doorways and narrow corridors in particular make for excellent mine fields and if you place all three of the mines a couple metres apart, theoretically nothing but a top tier boss should make it through alive (though heavily weakened).

Krogan Warlord - Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Character Discussion and Review

Krogan Warlord

In this third character review of the new Reckoning DLC kits, I'll be discussing the Krogan Warlord, classified as a Sentinel, he brings to the fight the standard Tech Armour and a great big *censor beep* hammer! If you read my previous character reviews of the Cabal Vanguard and Alliance Infiltration Unit (AIU), you'll know that both kits were very mobile and agile, able to traverse maps stealthily and quickly strike at unsuspecting foes. The Krogan Warlord's playstyle on the other hand is about as different as you could get, he's big, lumbering and is about as subtle as a, well, as a sledgehammer [ :P ] Regular readers will again also recall that I'm not a huge fan of slow moving characters because they just don't suit my preferred style of play, that is to say, speed and aggression. To make matters worse he can't take cover or jump over it, combine this with the fact he's about a good half metre taller than any of the current Krogan characters and you can probably guess my thoughts about him already. But obviously I still put the guy through his paces, else this review would be as short as his temper and not particularly detailed lol. The question is, was he good enough to become one of my regular kits or would he simply make me rage?

So let's get started, first up as per usual, a breakdown of the powers. Well the Tech Armour is nothing special, it's the same as any TA for any of the other Sentinels, once activated it stays on until you decide other wise. While it's active you get a damage reduction from all incoming enemy fire but at the cost of your power's recharging at a slower rate, by default these figures are -35% and +50%, respectively. For the most part I never detonate TA once I activate it, even though it has a pretty wide blast radius and can do a decent bit of damage if you choose to invest extra points into it. A little known fact about detonating TA, is that the force generated by the explosion is usually enough to stagger a Phantom, which can be a life saver if you get caught by surprise. Having said this, if you're reckless enough to get close to an enemy unit that can sync kill, you're either prepared to deal with the threat or have a death wish. Until the Krogan Warlord, I've not really had a reason to invest any further than into the first three ranks of TA but I found that the bonus power damage at rank 5 is very complimentary to the kits offensive powers.