Latest from the studio

So hear it is, Final Fantasy’s 15^th mainline game. It’s a reminder of just how long thee games have been going but it’s fair to say that they don’t have the following of COD or FIFA for example. The one thing this game does have though is a set of very loyal fans, and this new release is set to be labelled the Final Fantasy that’s perfect for returning fans and first-timers.

First things first, the visuals are incredible. You really do feel like you’re there with Noctis the main character in the kingdom of Lucis. So what’s the story then? Well you’re on a journey with three of your friends — Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus — to get married to Luna, an Oracle and former princess, in order to fulfill a peace treaty. Of course, this trip that seems incredibly simple doesn’t go to plan and you have to deal with a series of monsters, giant gods, and even entire armies going out of their way to make your life difficult. It’s another one of those ‘save the world’ kind of games but don’t worry you won’t get board by it.

The game also taps into modern features such as cars, gas stations, and smartphones and it certainly made some improvement with dialogue. The characters are more believable and their discussions will have you more engaged than previous titles so you’ll be hooked from the first minute. It does take a little while before the action really builds up but that’s what makes this storyline much stronger, so be prepared to have a little patience at first because it does take some time for the game to get going. Overall this is another great release and a brilliant way to celebrate 15 Final Fantasy games. It’s not to be missed by old fans and it has enough in its locker to attract first-timers too.

When you look back over the last two decades, it’s crazy to see how far mobile gaming has come. Two of the first games on mobile phones were Snake and Tetris, using black pixels on a lit green screen. Now we’re playing games with realistic visuals like Angry Birds, Temple Run and Pokémon Go. There’s also more games you can play against other people online with friends and fellow gamers, while some classic games have been revived on mobile like Sonic and Mario (which comes out late this year). Considering just how far the gaming industry has come in the last 20 years, it’s difficult to know what’s next. Virtual reality gaming is still in its first wave right now but perhaps this will become more affordable, and there are headsets that connect to phones, so this could be the future. Who knows? It’s going to be exciting to watch it all unfold though.

Limbo was voted one of the top 100 games on IOS and it is no wonder why when you consider how many downloads it’s had. It’s slightly dark and disturbing but the gameplay and visuals are easy, smooth and elegant in every sense. It’s classed as a puzzle-platform video game but it’s a 2D sidescroller, making it perfect for IOS devices. The black and white tones make this game classic on the eyes, but the controls are so simple, giving it that Mario edge. The nameless boy who you control can run left or right, jump, climb onto short ledges or up and down ladders and ropes, and push or pull objects. That’s it. Limbo is presented through dark, greyscale graphics and with minimalist ambient sounds, creating an eerie, haunting environment but these visuals hide numerous environmental and physical hazards, such as deadly bear traps on the forest floor. It’s a tricky game to get used to but when you get into the swing of things you won’t want to put it down.

This game will go down as one of the best games this year, but there are many ways in which it can be improved. It’s got a many visual bugs, odd in-play controls and the in-play visuals aren’t really up to scratch either, especially when compared to other ‘next gen’ games. That said, hardcore fans who play this game are not looking for amazing visuals and smooth gameplay. It’s all about button bashing and killing as many zombies as you can. With around 35 hours of gameplay packed in and a fun little retro beat ’em up to complement it all, it’s the probably the best way to get your zombie fix at the moment. That said, we do hope Dead Island gets ome of those much needed improvements next time round because they certainly have the fan base to warrant a refined version in the next few years.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes has never really fallen out of the charts since it’s release. It really is a hugely popular game and it’s still performing very well in the Pre-Owned charts, especially on the PS4. With LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, you can save the world brick-by-brick as Marvels mightiest heroes including Iron Man, Wolverine, Spider-Man and The Hulk. It’s up to you to conquer the evil villains, such as Loki, Magneto, Dr Doom, Deadpool and Galactus. What’s great about this game is the balance between humour and gameplay. The visuals are what they are, but it’s that comedy edge that really comes through, making it very enjoyable for all ages. What’s even better this time round is that you’re able to create your own LEGO Superheroes with unique looks and abilities by combing parts of your favourite existing characters.

Following the record-breaking launch of NBA 2K16, the NBA 2K franchise continues to stake its claim as the most authentic sports video games with NBA 2K17. This is now available to preorder and sales are expected to beat last years. So what does the game have in store this time round?

There are likely to be more classic teams due to the success of this option in 2K16, whilst many people have requested the developers add a potential slider that will give the statistics and help to achieve the player’s true potential. This is likely to be added too.

The gameplay won’t be changed too much and fans should only expect minor tweaks, yet the visuals are going to be out of this world, if you’ve seen the trailer than you’ll know what we’re talking about. NBA 2K17 could go down as one of the greatest basketball games of all time so don’t miss out.

I saw a few comments floating around in a popular games forum the other day about bringing out the Gameboy from the loft or basement, and the thread has really picked up over the last week or so. It’s basically shown me just how many people hang on to their retro consoles, and it made me go and fetch mine from the attic. I was scared my Gameboy Colour wouldn’t work but the light came on just fine and Super Mario was nicely lit in red and blue. I started playing Super Mario Land 2 as it’s the only game I could find and I haven’t been able to stop playing it since. Me and my girlfriend keep taking it in turns like we did 8 or 9 years ago, and it almost feels like we’ve gone back in time.  If your Gameboy is just gathering dust, get it out and give it a play, even if it’s for 30 minutes. You won’t regret it.

Fantastic news for those of you who are enjoying Halo 5: Guardians’ new Warzone Firefight mode, which was released this week in beta form. Developer 343 Industries has announced that it’s extending the beta period an extra day, meaning it will now end on April 19 instead of April 18.

343 said it’s giving players an extra day with the mode as a thank you for their patience, presumably for some launch issues. This being pre-release software, there are elements that 343 is hoping to improve for the final release.

Designer David Ellis said on Twitter that 343 has heard the feedback around the “Defend the Garage” objective and how it’s not explained well enough to players.

Steam offers a wide range of deals and price cuts, and they do so throughout the year. While there is a potential gain to wait until particularly periods of the year, such as international holidays (like Christmas) for the really low prices, every other week there will still be price cuts of up to 80%. On numerous occasions there have been paid-for games that have been offered for free, as a special promotion.

One of the biggest and best features of Steam is that it gives you a rundown of all of the current deals whenever you log into the platform. This means that they have virtually eliminated the requirements for bargain hunters to spend hours searching for deals on new games; they are all organised and clearly advertised.

On top of steam deals, there are also a number of other deal providers on steam games. Usually these operate as charities; game developers donate a game to one of these charities, who are then allowed to sell it on the games developers behalf in return for charitable donations.