PlayStation Now, which is available on the PlayStation 4 and PC, will be offered at the following prices, keeping in line with pricing for other entertainment streaming services. Current customers will see this price change in their next billing cycle.

EU: €9.99 – monthly / €24.99 – quarterly / €59.99 – yearly (from 14.99/ (N/A)/ 99.99)

PlayStation Now will also expand on the industry’s largest games library for a console subscription service, with additional blockbuster content available for a limited window. These games can be streamed on a PS4 system or PC or downloaded to a PS4 system. The new content is among the most played and highly acclaimed games on the PS4 platform and will be added on a monthly basis. The following have been included:

• God of War – From Santa Monica Studio, God of War won numerous 2018 “Game of the Year” honors worldwide.
• Grand Theft Auto V – From Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V is the best-selling title of the current generation.
• inFAMOUS Second Son – From Sucker Punch Productions, one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games to-date.
• UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End – Naughty Dog’s 2016 award-winning game, including BAFTA’s 2017 “Best Game.”

“Following PlayStation Now’s expansion earlier this year, we have coverage for more than 70 percent of our global PS4 user base, making it the ideal time to revamp the service with a more compelling price and stronger content offering,” said Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “We have accumulated a wealth of knowledge in cloud gaming since PlayStation Now’s launch in 2014. That, coupled with our 25-year legacy in the games business and strong partnerships we’ve forged with publishers, positions us to continue leading and innovating in this field as the gaming industry evolves.”

God of War, Grand Theft Auto V, inFAMOUS Second Son and UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End will be available from now until January 2nd, 2020. Each month, the service will add a refreshed selection of marquee games that will be available for a limited period.

This marquee content is on top of the existing offering of popular evergreen titles that are added to PlayStation Now on a regular basis.

Stay tuned to GamEir, and if you’re interested, converse with us on Twitter (@gam_eir), Facebook (@GamEir), and Instagram (@GamEir). Check out our videos on Twitch (GamEir) and YouTube (GamEir) and we’ll give you all the latest content.

The post PlayStation Now Subscription Service gets new lower price & more appeared first on GamEir.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man

I’m swinging high above the streets of New York and man I love the people of this great city. They call out and cheer my name, I hear over my podcast app that Jonah is once again ripping me apart. What can a super-powered spider-man do? Guess I’ll have to talk MJ about this next time I see her. It is at this point that I realise I’m not Peter Parker, I’m Graham Day. I have no superpowers (that you know of) and I don’t live in the city that never sleeps. Instead, I am playing Marvel’s Spider-Man from Insomniac Games and I can’t believe how immersive it is.

I’ve swung through New York many times over the years. Spider-Man games have been with me since I was a child. The first Spider-Man game I played was the appropriately titled Spider-Man (2000). It was so much fun and from that point on I played a Spidey-centric game annually. Now we come to 2018 and there is a resurgence in the popularity of the famous wall-crawler. This is likely due to the introduction of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to the hyper-popular Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This is where Marvel’s Spider-Man comes in. Starring Yuri Lowenthal, Laura Bailey, and a whole host of celebrated actors Marvel’s Spider-Man is the definitive Spider-Man experience.

Webbed-Beginnings

What immediately grabs you is the cinematic style of the game’s narrative. It is far more impressive than previous iterations. From the stunning graphics to the compelling storytelling it pulls you into this make-believe world so well. In my opinion, this is the best Spider-Man film that has ever been released. Yuri Lowenthal is also the second-best Spider-Man we’ve had, Andrew Garfield is number one (come at me if you dare). He’s been Spider-Man for 8 years and he’s seen a lot of action. He’s taken on many recognisable names, Electro, Rhino, and Vulture, who are currently imprisoned in the Raft.

This Peter is different though from previous incarnations as several notable villains have not appeared. Not only that several key figures in Peter’s life are absent. This is clearly an alternative universe which adds further fascination to this narrative. Look out for Spider-Geddon in the coming months of Marvel comics as this Peter will join the ranks of the Spider-Verse spider-people.

Do whatever a spider can

Spider-Man’s movements have never felt more fluid. He bounces from building to building with the grace and ease of well a human-sized spider. The dynamic movement is just so simple and user-friendly. There is one issue with this gameplay however. It’s not new. It’s like all previous Spider-Man games were various experiments trying to master the movement of Spider-Man. All these experiments lead to Marvel’s Sider-Man which is the culmination of all these previous attempts. It’s perfect in its execution but it is nothing you haven’t seen before from previous Spider-Man outings.

One of the more enjoyable aspects of Marvel’s Spider-Man is the development of Peter’s powers/skills. This further enhances the experience of playing as Spider-Man. These skills enhance how you move as well as how you fight. This is where Marvel’s Spider-Man once again gets interesting if somewhat unoriginal. The combat is basically a modded version of the Batman Arkham series. The gameplay in my opinion though suits Spider-Man more than Batman because you can easily explain it because of Peter’s spider-sense.

He dodges his foes with ease, you can chain his combo’s together causing devastating damage and it feels so satisfying when you take on 20+ enemies and by the end of it all you’re standing triumphant over their unconscious bodies. Fighting enemies on rooftops is a unique affair because you can knock them off instantly taking them out of the fight because well you’ve killed them. My friends pointed this out multiple times stating that I would kill many criminals by webbing them up and then kicking them off rooftops, or slinging car doors at their heads. Many people may play a secondary game of the body count you can rack up in this game.

What is a great inclusion is that Peter is not the only playable character and this breaks up the gameplay.  This allows players to flex their puzzle solving skills. I won’t say who the other playable characters are but there is more than one

On top of this is a gaggle of goons that Spider-Man has to take throughout the game. You get to utilise all the various gadgets and skills you obtain to bring all these guys down. Unlike most games, Marvel’s Spider-Man’s combat is difficult and nuanced enough that you have to use every gadget at your disposal otherwise you will lose.

There wasn’t a single gadget available in my arsenal that I didn’t enjoy using. Easily my favourite was the web bomb which hits an enemy and explodes outward trapping all enemies near them. This leaves them all open for your punishment.

On the subject of enemies. Marvel’s Spider-Man has several noteworthy boss battles and they’re a lot of fun. They’re incredibly cinematic. Unfortunately, they are somewhat similar in execution. You fight them, they have awesome and epic abilities and then you figure out their routine and from there the fights get pretty simple. Even the final boss is fairly easy. Even on the harder difficulty levels. I would recommend the Spectacular difficulty as it is a decent challenge for most gamers.

As you play the game and complete the various missions in the game you earn tokens which you can use to unlock skills. These “tokens” are gained by solving crimes, bringing down criminal bases, beating challenges posed to you by enemies, and researching various items across New York. This brings me to my favourite aspect of Marvel’s Spider-Man gameplay.

The Spider-Suit makes the Spider-Man

In Marvel’s Spider-Man Peter is an accomplished engineer/scientist and because of this, he is continually inventing new suits to help him with his crime-fighting endeavours. After the first 20 minutes of the game, he designs a new suit (the one you’ve seen in the trailers) and from there he utilises the new ability he gains from it to help him take on the criminals of New York. As you level up Peter and complete side missions more suits become available to you. They each have unique abilities that you can then mix and match with other suits giving you your own unique Spider-Man suit. There are over 20 suits available for you to unlock and they range from suits that are decades old from comic runs that have become iconic to a few suits that have recently shown up in the MCU. They’re very cool and you will spend a lot of your time trying to unlock them simply due to their impressive designs. You will divide the number of tokens you to either upgrade your gadgets or to buy new suits. Either way, you are improving Spider-Man’s arsenal and it’s a lot of fun expanding the capabilities of Spider-Man to deal with the many enemies you’ll be facing out there on the streets of New York.

With great power comes great responsibility

The game clocks in at approximately 20 hours but if you want that Platinum Trophy that number will easily double. Marvel’s Spider-Man is easily the best Spider-Man game. Not only that it is the best Spider-Man film. With the combination of addictive gameplay and a compelling narrative, this is a must play for any fans of Spider-Man. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to save my city, Spider-Man out.

The post A Review in Progress: Marvel’s Spider-Man appeared first on GamEir.

As one of the most influential and critically acclaimed video games of all time, the original Resident Evil 2 introduced some of the most memorable experiences and characters in the long-running Resident Evil franchise, which has sold over 83 million units worldwide. Originally released in 1998 on the PlayStation console, the game continued the storyline of the first Resident Evil and embodied the action, tense exploration and puzzle-solving gameplay that defined the series.

Resident Evil 2 introduced characters who would go on to become some of the most iconic and beloved heroes in Capcom’s history: rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who are thrust together by a disastrous outbreak in Raccoon City that transformed its population into deadly zombies. They must work together to survive and get to the bottom of what is behind the terrifying attack. Both Leon and Claire have their own separately playable campaigns allowing players to see the story from both characters’ perspective.

Twenty years later, the new Resident Evil 2 sees the nightmare return, now with unprecedented levels of immersion as seen in last year’s acclaimed Resident Evil 7 biohazard. With Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine powering a new photorealistic style, the characters themselves appear sharper than ever and the grotesque hordes of zombies are brought to life with a horrifyingly realistic wet gore effect. Zombies now react in real time as they take instantly visible damage, making every bullet from the player count. Stunning lighting brings the familiar rooms and corridors of Raccoon City Police Department to new life. Players will feel they’re in the shoes of heroes Leon and Claire, terrified to step out of the light for fear of what flesh-eating nightmares might await them in the darkness.

“The press and fan reaction to Resident Evil 2 when we said ‘We Do It’ in 2015 has been overwhelming. We’ve been very eager to unveil the new game to the world this week,” said Capcom Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi. “We want fans to see the reimagining of Resident Evil 2 not only captures the magic of the beloved original, but also expands it to deliver a richer experience. The first look at E3 is just a taste of what’s to come.”

As someone who was around when the original title first appeared on the scene I was not a fan. This was down to the fact that I could not play it for a full five minutes without turning the game off. What can I say I was scared and this latest game will probably follow the same route so a review will likely come from someone else on the team who is less terrified.

The post Return to Raccoon City in a reimagining of Resident Evil 2 appeared first on GamEir.

The journey to becoming human

It’s been a long process to get to Detroit: Become Human. Quantic Dream’s tech demo Kara began the journey back in 2012 and since then the team at Quantic Dream have built a new engine to accommodate this game and not only that, director David Cage and lead writer Adam Williams took over two years to complete the script for the story they were building. The development of Detroit: Become Human itself is a fascinating one but that’s not why I’m here, no no I’m here to review this action-adventure set in a future that is all too real. So buckle up ladies and gentlemen and be prepared to question every decision you make in Detroit: Become Human.

Setting the stage

The setting of the adventure is Detroit in 2038, the world is a supposed paradise. With the birth of androids, humanity has the opportunity to rise to loftier goals. Unfortunately, as the player learns more about the world you will learn that all is not as it seems. This is fascinating to discover and helps shape this world in which the characters live. This added depth is brilliant and makes Detroit: Become Human something quite unique.

The players

Detroit: Become Human has a massive cast of characters with more than 250 actors portraying 513 roles. The player, however, will be in charge of the destinies of 3 androids. This trio consists of Kara (Valorie Curry) a housekeeper android, Markus (Jesse Williams) a caretaker android, and Connor (Bryan Dechart) an android who is designed to hunt down deviants which the players learn are androids who have glitched and gone against their programming. I won’t go too deep into SPOILER territory with regards to their journeys but suffice to say the game starts off relatively simple for these 3 characters and becomes progressively more complex as you play the game. But I’ll discuss that later in the review.

What is it to dream of electric sheep?

The gameplay involves you the player choosing the fate of not only 3 separate androids but possibly the world as your choices can have minute to global consequences. Once again Quantic Dream has given players a glut of choices when it comes to decision making. Fans of the hugely successful Heavy Rain (and the not so great Beyond 2 Souls) will recognise a lot of the mechanics in Detroit: Become Human. Many decisions will be hinged on time, meaning most of the time there is no faffing about. Entering buttons at the right time so that you overcome the obstacles you’re facing whether they be human, android, or environmental. An example of this is when you play as Connor the bladerunner of the trio. You must hunt down deviants and you need to find them as soon as possible so figuring out clues, finding evidence and finding the key buttons to press to get the most out of your suspects is essential. Connor is easily my favourite character as he has the best combination of a compelling story and engaging gameplay. His human partner Hank (played to perfection by Clancy Brown) is brilliant as the gruff lieutenant who hates androids. By the end of my playthrough, I would easily buy a whole game about these two solving crimes and getting people out of jams.

Now just because Connor was my favourite android does not mean that Kara and Markus aren’t brilliant in their rights. With Kara’s story, you will get the most emotional as her journey is all about the protection of a small child and how far you are willing to go to protect her. It’s brilliant and the locales you visit range from the breathtakingly beautiful to the grotesquely horrifying.

With Markus, it could be said that this is where the game falls down as it is the narrative at its most traditional. Markus begins a rebellion and as the progenitor of said rebellion, you will have to make the clichéd choices that the leader of a minority trying to rise up against your oppressors would have to make. This would be a major issue if not for the fact that the combination of the cinematography and the score adds further weight to the choices you make. It also doesn’t hurt that the acting is on point with every actor in the game which elevates the script when it needs it to hit home with the player.

The building blocks

As I stated earlier the score and cinematography of Detroit: Become Human are some of the games major highlights. One element that struck me is the score of each character is handled by their own personal composer. This means that when you enter the world of Connor it feels different to the world of Markus and Kara which is just another subtle piece of artistic genius. If there is anything technically an issue with the game it is the graphics. The world we were sold in previous trailers is not as polished as we were led to believe and the game did run into one major moment of glitching for me when Hanks’ face seemed to turn itself inside which was quite the experience. There were also moments when the rendering of scenes in the game took their time which was unfortunate.

The finished product

Detroit: Become Human is a hell of a game. The characters are unforgettable filled with nuance and grace. The gameplay is action-packed and addictive making sure when you replay this game to get every conceivable ending you won’t ever get bored. And the score and cinematography are breathtaking bringing an emotional weight to every consequence of your every action.

The post A Review in Progress: Detroit: Become Human appeared first on GamEir.

It’s hard to believe but it has been 13 years since Kratos the legendary “Ghost of Sparta” debuted on the PlayStation 2. Fuelled by vengeance Kratos brought the Gods and Titans to their knees in the seemingly final God of War III back in 2010. It was a blood-soaked gore-fest as players racked up corpses ripping apart Greece. When God of War came along it shook up the status quo and one such element it injected was the ‘Quick Time Event’ aka the QTE. Fans immediately adored the various features and the incredible lore behind Kratos and this mythical world.

The story of God of War this time around see’s Kratos in a new land (ancient Norway) as he tries to hide from who and what he is. This has worked for years unfortunately, Kratos can’t ever seem to escape his past and when the death of his wife brings unwanted change he must make one last journey with his child in tow. This sets the stage for a realm shattering event that dwarfs all previous journeys with Kratos.

A little older and a little wiser Kratos has now joined the ranks of Joel from The Last of Us, Logan from Logan and Bryan Mills from Taken aka “The Murder Daddy’s”. He has with him now a young progeny named Atreus who he has a tenuous relationship with but will ferociously protect from any harm. The two must travel to the top of the highest peak and scatter Atreus’ mother’s ashes to honour her. Along the way, they’ll face off against trolls, dark elves, nightmares and so many more mythical figures and it’s a hell of a ride.

With God of War what you will immediately be taken aback by are the graphics. They are stunning, Kratos and the world he resides in has never looked so spectacular. As you travel across the nine realms you will encounter all manner of monsters and mythic figures and as you do battle with them (usually with young Atreus’ aid) you can’t help but take in the gorgeous environments that surround you. A favourite of mine was the Lake of the Nine which is home to a particularly impressive figure in Norse mythology. Accompanying the breathtaking scenery and the intense inhabitants that dwell within is a haunting score. God of War is truly a triple threat, the score, the acting, and the gameplay.

On the topic of gameplay, there has been a massive overhaul of the combat system. No longer do you run and gun through the various stages mowing down paper thin enemies until you hit a brick wall. What has replaced it is a far more atmospheric direction akin to the Uncharted series. Combat is still as intense as it was it in previous iterations this time however it feels far more strategic especially when you factor in Kratos’ little sidekick Atreus. Much like Elisabeth in Bioshock Infinite, he is your tag team partner helping you dish the damage to your enemies with his signature bow and dagger combo. The boss battles are possibly the most cinematic battles I’ve ever been a part of. There is an early boss battle that just makes you feel like a god as you go toe to toe with a figure of equal strength and the rush I felt as I battled this boss was fantastic.

If anything has stayed the same it is the puzzle elements of God of War, like previous iterations you may only be able to finish a puzzle with an unlocked ability from a defeated boss or new found area. The puzzles are okay, nothing too taxing for the mind and so if I had any issues with God of War it would centre around the puzzles. There is also a similar system of levelling up your skills for Kratos and Atreus with the points earned from the various slain monsters. This can be put into skills for the Leviathan Axe, which sadly seems to have replaced the iconic Blades of Chaos, as well as Atreus’ bow to strengthen them. There are also dwarven smiths which will sell Kratos armour and runes that further customise Kratos in his never-ending battle. To also further lengthen the game there are several favours (side quests) that you can undertake to strengthen the duo with more powerful skills and items. You will need these as the harder difficulties are quite punishing. I myself am playing on hard mode and I have to be smart when going into any encounter.

Adding further personality to the game is a great cast of characters, Kratos this time around is voiced by the awesome Christopher Judge (Teal’c from Stargate). It will sting when you realise that T.C. Carson is no longer voicing Kratos but Judge makes the character his own, giving us a more reserved and taciturn man than we knew 13 years ago. Along this journey with him is young actor Sunny Suljic who brings a wonderful vulnerability to the role of the young warrior to be. Together they are an iconic team and will be talked about in the hallowed halls of dynamic duos of gaming. This is due to how the relationship between father and son grows throughout the course of the game. It’s wonderfully touching and surprisingly emotional especially since the previous God of War titles were anything but emotional.

With God of War Kratos has returned in a big, bad way and has gone from being that angry drunk uncle you adored as a dumb teen to the father that you respect as a man.

The post A Review in Progress: God of War appeared first on GamEir.

After the absolute ball I had with Knack a few weeks ago I decided that it was time to check out Knack II. With Knack being one of the first exclusives for the PlayStation 4 as well as a whole new IP it was a gamble for Sony. It paid off ultimately as Knack is enjoyed in certain circles. Receiving generally favourable reviews from critics and being a callback to old-school platforming I was interested in playing it when it became free on the PS Plus. We here at GamEir also received a review code for Knack II so I knew I had to begin the journey at the very beginning.

Once that was done I started up Knack II and loved that SIE Japan Studio had seemingly listened to issues players had from the first game and had implemented (to varying degrees of success) measures to fix these chinks in Knack’s armour. At first glance, there is a clear improvement with the graphics of the world Knack inhabits.  Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword the reason being that the graphical improvement did not mesh with the artistic designs of the human characters. There was an uncanny valley scenario that carried through the entire game and though I got used to it every time I came back to Knack II I was reminded of this horrifying world filled with Chucky styled humans.

The gameplay has also received a nice, neat overhaul with Knack gaining several abilities that up the variety of actions he can perform. The simplest (yet oddly satisfying) change is that Knack can now switch between his miniature size and bigger sizes at any time. It makes the player feel in much more control of Knack and his actions. Another strange inclusion is Knack can kick so there are a few combos that be mixed up to devastating effect. With the punching and the kicking Knack II has also now including a skill tree allowing players to gain energy to power up moves as well as introduce further combos to his arsenal. It makes every battle in Knack II a real treat to engage in. Knack can now perform flips, elongated punches, and grabs to create a multitude of attacks. The newest inclusion to Knack II though that further enhances the experience is the local co-op. The two players split Knack into two Knack’s one composed of red relics and the other of blue. The two can team up and unleash devastating combos on the enemy utilising variants of the combos you learn throughout the game. It adds a great team dynamic and the game keeps this going with changing the gameplay mechanics ever so slightly to accommodate the new player.

This also carries over with the various forms that Knack can still transform into. This time however the new forms come with new abilities instead of just one mode. A fun quirk is when you transform out of your transformed state, whether it be one of the many metallic forms or the ice form a statue is created that shows off Knack striking quite the pose. It is adorable and adds an impressive charm to the game. It even serves a purpose for puzzles so adding the charming statue aspect is unnecessary but appreciated. The world of Knack is still lush and brimming with character, the enemies are varied and imaginative and the world now seems to be inhabited by people meaning the world feels properly lived in. It’s little touches like this that add to the overall enjoyment of the game.

The treasure-seeking element from the previous game is still there but it has been improved on meaning you’ll get equipable items far faster but it still feels unnecessary. Getting items after building the parts over the course of the game feels satisfying but only two of them are useful and it felt like resources could have been put into some other part of the game.

The story is still somewhat simplistic, it won’t win any awards for storytelling, Knack and Lucas have to face off against a new enemy that has ties to the history of their world. It’s a more a reactionary tale and Knack and Lucas dealing with yet another world-changing event with them once again on the defensive. It’s a shame because Knack II had the opportunity to further explore the world they touched on in the first game. The story of the game even uses the history of the Crystal Wars as the backbone of this game but unfortunately it’s not utilised to its fullest potential instead it hits on very familiar story beats that players will have seen in Knack.

Knack II also doesn’t overstay it’s welcome as the game is of a similar length to its predecessor meaning a weekends worth of gaming with your best bud will be had. The pricing as well adds to that meaning it is a must have especially for any fans of old-school platformers.

In the end Knack II is a lot of the same that allowed me to fall in love with Knack. To save the game from being stale though there are enough changes to make this a solid addition to the Knack series and I look forward to the adventure continuing in a possible Knack III.

The post A Review in Progress: Knack II appeared first on GamEir.

Since its launch in October 2016, approximately 300 PS VR software titles and experiences from third-party developers and publishers as well as from SIE Worldwide Studios have released globally. PS VR will continue to expand with highly anticipated launches on their way including Blood & Truth, WipEout Omega Collection and Firewall Zero Hour, The Persistence (Firesprite Ltd), Star Child (Playful Corp), Eden Tomorrow (Soul Pix), Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality (Adult Swim Games) and Smash Hit Plunder (Triangular Pixels) in addition to VR experiences such as Virry Safari: Wild Encounters (Fountain Digital) and CoolpaintrVR (Sngular). With the attractive new price point, SIE will further expand the PS VR platform along with the great line-up of exciting VR games and revolutionary experiences, delivering PlayStation as the best place to play to users worldwide.

This to me is great news because one of my main issues with the PlayStation VR was the over the top pricing. Is this pricing perfect? Not at all but it is a step in the right direction to bring even more players to the virtual world that PlayStation has crafted in the last two years.

The post PlayStation VR is back with a new price appeared first on GamEir.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is out in only a few short days and we here at GamEir will be reviewing it. So I’ve tasked myself with finishing every game I have in my library because I apparently need to. One of the games I have in my library is Knack which is a platformer/beat ’em up starring a hero made up of LEGO pieces. The story follows the titular character Knack, a creature “born” from relics, ancient pieces from a long-forgotten civilisation. He lives in a world where humans and goblins are at constant war. There is a stalemate in place due to the fact that goblins are scavengers while humans live in lush cities with high tech weaponry. This changes in the opening shot of Knack when a group of goblins all of a sudden seem to have amassed technology that rivals humanity. With this revelation, a group of adventurers is assembled (including Knack) to find out how this happened and to stop the cause. From there players navigate this little ball of bricks across islands, mountains, ancient ruins and so much more to discover the truth behind the goblins and possibly the truth behind his origin.

When first diving into the world of Knack I was instantly taken in by its thematic and visual charm. It has similarities to Mega Man, Astro Boy and Ratchet and Clank. The world is lush with colour and the characters are the kind of individuals you’d find on an old Saturday morning cartoon. It doesn’t allow for great character depth though when there are several logic jumps throughout the course of the game which will make you scratch your head in disbelief because they’re quite infantile. The story of the game is saved by an intriguing protagonist in the many shapes of Knack who is fun simply because of his design and cool charm.

The success of Knack as a game though falls on the gameplay and there is where the game drew me in. Gameplay has you utilise the left stick to move (duh) while the right stick allows Knack to dodge. It allows for a fast-paced fighting system as Knack can be surrounded by eight individuals with varying degrees of weaponry and abilities. On the point of enemies, there are many different variations for Knack to tackle. From bugs to ancient guardians to humans with guns, swords, and grenades you’ll never get bored with them design wise. The most fascinating aspect of Knack which affects every other element of the game is the fact that the titular hero can change size depending on how many relics he has stored on his body. He can range from no bigger than a small toddler to a behemoth that would tower over the tallest skyscrapers of the world. It changes not only how Knack is as a character, his voice changes as do his mannerisms, but his gameplay mechanics change as well. The character becomes more aggressive when battling enemies and not only that there are moments in the game where players can attach different types of materials to Knack that allow him access to different abilities.

He can absorb materials like ice, metal, and wood, but the most interesting material is a clear crystal which allows Knack to become invisible to sensors so there is a strategy involved when you gain this ability because when he is in this stealth form he’s weak and can be killed in one hit. So players have to be careful to shift between the two forms so that they aren’t overwhelmed while playing this section of the game.

It is elements like this that endeared this game to me and kept me coming back to finish it. Lengthwise Knack took me a weekend to finish so about 16+ hours and that was on Hard mode. The game itself isn’t particularly challenging for any seasoned gamers but to keep bringing you back for more there are further difficulty levels once you finish the game. As well as that there is an interesting online element where you can team up with other players of Knack to help you unlock various upgraded versions of Knack as well as gear for him that give him new abilities. It’s a clever idea except for the fact that you need a lot of friends playing this game to actually utilise this to its fullest extent. And because the game is five years old and I’ve two friends on my friend’s list who have played this game it was difficult to unlock even one item because the items you find are randomised. This means if you’re a completionist you may never finish this game 100%

When I came to the final battle of Knack and my journey came to its end I found myself content. This was a weekend well spent. I enjoyed the world, the characters though flawed were fun, and the gameplay reminded me of games like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon platformers that shaped my childhood.

The post A Review in Progress: Knack appeared first on GamEir.

“We are incredibly grateful that Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds have been received so positively by so many gamers and it is a testament to the fantastic work of the entire team at Guerrilla. The combination of beautiful story-telling and great characters, with excellent gameplay mechanics, has resonated well with fans and led to this exceptional sales milestone,” said Shawn Layden, Chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios.

“We had huge ambition for Horizon Zero Dawn and as we approached the launch we knew people were excited, but to see sales of this volume is truly mind-blowing. Since launch, millions of players have joined Aloy on a quest to discover the secrets of the old ones. We hope they enjoy playing Horizon Zero Dawn as much as we enjoyed making it,” said Hermen Hulst, Managing Director and Co-Founder, Guerrilla.

Available to download from the PlayStation Store, the Complete Edition of the game combines the original game with the expansion, The Frozen Wilds, so gamers can experience the full adventure. If you’d like to learn more check out the GamEir reviews for both the original game and its impressive expansion.

The post Horizon Zero Dawn surpasses 7.6 million sales worldwide appeared first on GamEir.

Out toward the tail end of 2017 came the new technology PlayLink for the PlayStation 4. It allowed players to access new games from the PlayStation 4 through their mobile devices. It’s a novel concept with some serious advantages, you can have more than 4 players on the one console local with titles such as Hidden Agenda having 2 – 6 players and Singstar Celebrations having 8 players max. Recently I was lucky enough to receive review codes for the PlayLink titles Hidden Agenda, Singstar Celebrations, and Knowledge Is Power. This week I will be reviewing Hidden Agenda from Supermassive Games many will know their work from titles like Until Dawn and the upcoming VR title The Inpatient.

Hidden Agenda follows the same gameplay style as Until Dawn your actions have ripple effects that will change the course of the story as you are playing it meaning your playthrough can be vastly different from another which adds a compelling reason to go back for more.

The story of Hidden Agenda is a fascinating one dealing with a serial killer called “The Trapper” and their disturbing crimes that involve booby-trapping their victims and getting cops killed. You play several characters throughout the course of the game but your first eyes into the world of Hidden Agenda is Officer Becky Marney played by Katie Cassidy who fans of Arrow will recognise. The reason for this recognisability is due to the high quality of the graphics developed by Supermassive Games who made their name in both the innovative gaming and photo-realistic graphics from Until Dawn.

Now to get to the meat of Hidden Agenda the gameplay and it’s honestly one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had gaming with a party and this due in no small part to the accessibility of the gameplay. People who were in my party didn’t have to know how to play a video to enjoy this video game and it allowed for a communal experience especially in the co-op mode of Hidden Agenda where your whole team works together to try and finish this story with the best ending possible. In the competitive mode, the more interesting mode, in my opinion, the party can work against each other so that players are playing for the individual instead of the whole. This is coupled well with a system that makes the players choose the outcomes of situations by voting for the resolution of said scenarios. There is then the fact that this is heightened by the competitive mode which adds yet another engaging element to Hidden Agenda.

With all these positives you must be thinking, “well there’s nothing wrong right Graham?” wrong, unfortunately, there is a single issue with Hidden Agenda and possibly PlayLink as a whole and it’s a damning one. To utilise the PlayLink function your phone must connect with the game and I’m not sure whether it was my phone or the app or even the game itself but the connectivity was horrendous every time I played through Hidden Agenda I lost connection with the game and it got to the point every time that I would have to restart the game and hope that it connected again and this situation would only be exasperated by more players with different makes and models of mobile devices.

Hidden Agenda is a lot of fun, the stories, characters, and innovations they’ve brought to the party gaming genre is great but if this to be something more than the next big fad the issues that I addressed in this review need to be addressed.

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