New News

Hey, out there in the real world, it’s been awhile. Don’t worry we’re still very much here. Time is strange. Sometimes things move so fast while others everything remains rather still and silent.

That same flimsily worded, Buddhist analogy is one that seems to be shared by Arika. For those who don’t know who I’m talking about and think I’m addressing a mysterious new guru in my life, don’t worry it’s not that exciting. Arrika are that tiny Japanese company who put together the Street Fighter EX games.

It only seems like yesterday, in fact, that Abe and me stumbled upon Street Fighter EX in our local arcade after ducking out of school for lunch, back in dinosaur times. I don’t remember if we ever made it back. They were fun, mind numbing games, back then. Not terribly great.

Well, those exact “not great” games had an ugly third cousin (once removed) called Fighting Layer. Fighting Layer may sound like some inedible, possibly toxic cake mixture but, in fact, is actually an unplayable, possibly toxic fighting game. It has also, very abruptly, resurfaced.


















  one happy customer


With a delay that can only rival Chinese Democracy, the two dozen or so people mad enough to still be working at Arika without going completly Daffy have finally produced their first game in over eighteen years. So how will this Layer sit with gamers?

Honestly? It looks...fun. I have no idea who asked for this, why it's happening or what's going on, but it looks fun.

Maybe check it out this April Fools Day on the PS4. Yes, that’s when and where this randomness is allegedly happening.

*edit: the release date has now been pushed back to June*

Sonic Forces Poll

So Sonic Forces has finally hit, well, basically every modern platform and its time to ask THE QUESTION

That question. Has the Blue-Blur finally ended his streak of sub-par games and kept the quality that Mania gave us? Well, judging from the critical reviews, that answer is probably not. However, since no one here at GK-UK has dared to grab a copy (honestly when we get that Sonic itch we just hop on Sonic Mania), we're reaching out to our fellow gamers and seeing how the good folk who paid for it found the game. Kind of like a blue canary down a coal mine situation.

So, without further ado: Did you play Sonic Forces? Was it everything you had hoped for or just another let down? Tell us what you think below.

What do you think of the new Sonic Team game - Sonic Forces?

A classic

Good solid fun

Could have been better

Abysmal

created with Poll Maker

Sonic Forces Unveils Third Character!

Sonic Forces has been getting a lot of attention. After all, it is basically a sequel to Sonic Generations, one of the few modern Sonic games that showed the character still has worth. 

There's been teasing for some time now that Classic and Modern Sonic will be joined by another hero. Now obviously 'Boom' Sonic was dismissed quickly and it seemed odd to have 1 version of any other of the franchise's heroes.

Well, rejoice fur fans! The hero joining Sonic is YOU! Well, we say you, we mean a custom animal character that you make. Your character's equipment and race/breed will affect your abilities. for example;

• Bear -Blows away enemies with a homing attack
• Bird - Flies high with double jump abilities
• Cat - Keeps one ring after being hit
• Dog - Restarts with five rings after the player dies
• Hedgehog - Collects rings when getting damaged
• Rabbit - Has longer invincible time after receiving damage
• Wolf - Automatically draws in rings when near them

Check out the trailer now!

Abe's Take

I really don't want this, sure I buy WWE games basically just for the custom character aspect, and Xenoverse's custom character feature managed to cut through DBZ fatigue... FINE I'm probably going to get this day one!

New Releases 15th-21st May

Yes, we're back but let's ignore that for now and check out some this week's new releases that we think are worth a look.

May 16th

The Surge (£39.99)- Xbox One & PS4

Coming from the makers of Lords of the Fallen (possibly the best non 'From Software' souls game) comes The Surge, basically a Sci-fi souls game. So instead of swords its chainsaws, instead of armour its exo-suits and instead of demons, its mechs and people. It's certainly shaping up well and is certainly on our watch list.

May 17th

Farpoint (£42.99) - Playstation VR

Farpoint is being billed as the PSVR's "first top quality" and "true" FPS playable with either the standard pad or with sony's new "aim controller" which surprisingly isn't just a plastic controller mount like the high days of the Wii. Whilst reports are very positive it's possible that PSVR's fate may lay with the success of this title.

May 19th

Akiba's Beat (£34.99) - PS4

A little something for the JRPG fans now. And Akiba's Beat certainly sounds like a treat (unintentional rhyming) for 'Persona' and 'Tale of' fans and just a little trippy.

• Realtime battle system similar to the 'Tales of' series
• Build a team of friends - all with unique skill-sets and enter the minds of the delusional
• Imaginative dungeon worlds based on the delusions of other - from music fans to Idol obsessives
• Customise your crew with clothes and accessories bough from stores in Akihabara
• Explore Akihabara in a perfectly mapped 1:1 version of this legendary discrict
• Incredible art and animation with characters brought to life using 2D Live

Portal Knights (£19.99) - Xbox One & PS4

Here's an interesting indie title. Portal Knights infuse the Minecraft formula with some action RPG blood. Players will be able to select their class, level up, craft items, shape the world, explore more worlds, and stab/shoot/burn enemies with a seemingly fast-paced combat engine. This game features 2 player split screen and 4 player online co-op

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (£32.99) - 3DS

In what is surely the start of a new series of remakes, Fire Emblem Echos takes us back to the 2nd ever Fire Emblem game but lovingly remade in the same engine that powers the excellent Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates.

Why should we care about this remake? Well first this game is going to harder (magic users take damage when casting) and at the time the series wasn't sure on its own identity and features "traditional" RPG features like dungeon crawling.

Injustice 2 (£41.99)  - Xbox One & PS4

Here's our "big release" of the week. Injustice (oddly no subtitle) 2 builds on its predecessor in the usual ways, larger roster: 28 up from 13 (not including either's DLC), better graphics, more moves and so on. However, it also includes a new gears system (not that different from For Honor).

For those who don't know the Injustice games take place in an alternative world where Lois Lane is killed and Superman fueled by her loss refuses to let anyone else die and ends up A) killing plenty of his friends and B) becomes a dictator. The first game (X1 Backwards Compatible) chronicled how the Batman lead resistance toppled Superman's regime. Now in the sequel will see Superman's biggest enemy Brainiac invade the Earth, will Batman let the dictator out of his cage? (guessing from the cover, yes). Honestly this game should be an easy recomend for DC fans, fighting fans, or general comic fans should appricate the no holds bared narrative.

See also the Injustice comic series that sets up the first game.

Dragon Quest XI Reconfirmed For Switch... Again

So after a lengthy absence thanks to a minor technical fault with my personal PC... a small fire made its home in it. Now that's all sorted we're back with Nintendo Switch news.

Nintendo has reconfirmed Dragon Quest XI for the Nintendo Switch, for those keeping score this being the third time DQXI has been confirmed for the Nintendo Switch. The first time Square-Enix confirmed both DQ X and DQ XI would come to the (then) NX during a live stream for the franchises 30th anniversary but shortly afterwards (precisely the length of time for an angry call from a Nintendo lawyer) retracted the announcement. Then after the Switch's reveal SE officially confirmed DQXI was coming to PS4, 3DS and Switch all at the same time.

So why this third attempt at confirming the title? Well, Square has been showing off the PS4 and 3DS version (video below) and did not mention the Nintendo Switch version, which led to fans pressing Nintendo for confirmation that a version was still coming and of cause it's now been confirmed by Nintendo.

Check the video out, the 3DS version starts after the PS4 version at 2:11

As you can see the two versions of the game are shaping up nicely. The ps4 version looks really nice, like Akira Toriyama's designs are given a more "realistic" makeover (interesting to see if it gets a PS4 Pro mode). Whilst the 3DS version has a rather interesting take with a dual 2D sprite & 3D model presentation (something tells me there might be a Pokemon game like that before the Switch takes over full time).

Abe's Take
Questions still hang over Dragon Quest XI as there is no confirmation about which of the two versions will come to Nintendo Switch and whether it'll even come west, though the chances are good as Dragon Quest Heroes and the two 3DS remakes have been localised.

Rumour: Metro 3 Outed

The Metro games are some of the tensest and atmospheric FPS on the market, being trapped on the toxic surface, wounded and heavily breathing into what remains of my gas mark as the last filter slowly fail. Nothing has topped that moment since.

It seems we have now seen the most iron-clad leak of all time. Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of the Metro novels has released a Metro timeline alongside the English version and there is an curious addition for 2017: 'The next Metro video game' with the text "it all adds up to something, Where the books end their story, the game will pick it up. An era of great discoveries lie ahead."

Which is rather exciting as nothing has been announced for the 3rd Metro game. It would certainly be an interesting turn for the franchise as Metro 2035 sees the return of Artyom as the people of the Metro attempt to retake the surface world, it seems likely that Metro 3 could be a rather different experience.

Not played Metro? well get on it, the two games saw a bundle remaster release for current gen and unlike the other remasters the developers applied all the gameplay improvements.

Abe's Take
Well I'm going to through a rumour tag on this but it seems rather pointless but just in case, there it is. Well, think I know my plans for the new year now, time to reread and replay the series in order.

Mass Effect Andromeda Details

Yesterday was Bioware's annual N7 event, the celebration of the Mass Effect franchise and fanbase. Yesterday Bioware used that to reveal the first story trailer for the new entry Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Along with this trailer. details are finally starting to appear about the game.

Time and Space

We know now that Mass Effect Andromeda takes place 600 years after Mass Effect 3. During the events of Mass Effect 2, the council decides that the reapers are too much of a threat to rest the fate of one Spector (Shepard) and so builds great 4 ark ships, one for each council race. Sending them far away from the Reapers and their Mass Relays. The plan is to investigate the "golden worlds" of the Heleus cluster. However the human ark ship "Hyperion" wakes up to find itself of cause and out of contact with the other ships or the Nexus a central command ship sent ahead of the arks.

The set up here nicely sidesteps the "ending" issue of Mass Effect 3 and removes the need for a canon ending. Bioware states that whatever the results of you Mass Effect 1-3 playthrough that is you canon. Which implies we won't see anything else Mass Effect from the Milkyway set after Mass Effect 3.

The Ryders

Alec Ryder in his N7 armour

Leading this mission is the "Pathfinder" Alec Ryder (star of the E3 trailer), unlike previous Mass Effect games the players won't be choosing Ryder's gender like they did Shepard. Instead, players will be picking (and customizing) between his son Scott and daughter Sera. Whilst Bioware has confirmed both the siblings Ryder will survive and not pull a Nate/Nora or Bethany/Carter but things look less... joyful for Alec as his title will pass to your Ryder. Speaking of Nate/Nora Andromeda will allow players to customize not only their choice of Ryder but also the sibling and father.

Scott and Sera Ryder in their AI armour

Player Freedom
Andromeda seeks to set players free from some artificial constraints from the first series (and the genre) so the first thing to go is the Paragon/Renegade system (it is unsure if the epic interruptions return) making that invisible should free the player to make more natural choices (we found this true for Fallout 4). Instead of a visible ranking affecting your interactions with NPCs instead, it'll be your actions and "tones" used in conversations. the goal here is to give you a more diverse way of expressing yourself without worrying about or being locked into a simple binary blue/red system.

Next up is the class system, instead of offering players an starting class to build up ME:A will be flipping the system on its head and letting players build their characters freely. There are however bonuses for following "traditional" classes so for example, unlocking multiple biotic powers will net you a bonus to your biotic prowess.

FireFight
This new found freedom expands to combat whereas Mass Effect 3 had two "play styles" where you either played it like a Gears or "stop and go" using the power wheel. Andromeda is attempting to merge the two allowing for faster gameplay, this also involves removing the 'tactical' roll in favor for a jet pack dodge and leap, allowing you to avoid fire, get across gaps or to higher ground.

Bioware confirms this style of gameplay will transfer to ME:A's Co-op mode, which is expected to be similar to Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition's. Which pleases us as we enjoyed both games attempt at multiplayer.

Hotrod

You know what? we missed the Mako, the hover tank was not the same.

The Mako is making its return to the franchise but altered to matched the feedback from Mass Effect 1. The new vehicle is called the Nomad and will allow people to explore the open terrain of the planets, which will apparently feature not only story missions but also side quests for the local populous. Bioware is making great pains to let fans know this isn't the same Mako it won't handle like the old ones, the sense of speed has been corrected and the camera will be a lot more compliant.

Aliens
Unlike the Shepard Trilogy humanity is the alien invaders in Andromeda, the Hyperon is the only source of pink meat bags in this galaxy and the locals are not happy about the new guys. the new race

Whilst the Hyperon is the human ark ship it appears there is at least one non-human on board as players will be joined by the Asari Peebee who as you saw in the trailer doesn't appear to be like other Asari like Liara or Samara. (there is some rumour that she might have a human "father")

Peebee, part human or an Asari Teen (50 years old)

The End?
Bioware isn't talking about where this game will end, if it will feature multiple endings or if its the start of a new trilogy. The goal with Mass Effect Andromeda was to tell a "complete" story. Which gives us a sigh of relief as an increasing number of games are expecting to get the trilogy treatment and as such, we don't often get a clear ending.

Whilst Bioware isn't giving us a date outside of "spring 2017" but Dark Horse's tie-in comic is still coming "the same day as the game March 21st". Regardless Mass Effect Andromeda is available to preorder on Amazon. Mass Effect Andromeda is also confirmed to be PS4 Pro compatible which will see the game boosted to "near" 4k.

Abe's Take
I speak for most of us at GK-UK when I say "We can not wait to play this" as Bioware is building not only on the lessons learned from Mass Effect 1-3 but also Dragon Age Inquisition  

Capcom Wants Monster Hunter To Grow

The Monster Hunter franchise never really grabbed a foothold in Japan outside of the MMO -console community and the west just didn't like it, The segmented map and R stick for attacking just alienated console gamers. However releasing MH on the PSP turned the segmented map into an asset, removed the right stick and turned MH into a money printing franchise Japan.

The franchise picked up more steam when the high costs of PS3 development and high Wii sales caused the franchise to switch banner, this lead to the inevitable nexus of Monster Hunter and 3DS. Now Monster Hunter is Capcom's biggest earning, spawning spin-offs and extended media, in a way that Street Fighter struggled to do.

So you can imagine our surprise when Capcom says it's unhappy. In the west handhelds only account for 10% of the market and is taking steps to "adjust" for the western market. Capcom predicts lifetime sales of Xbox One and PS4 as 50 million and 100million respectively. They believe Monster Hunter is limiting it's sales in the west by being handheld exclusive and that it must make games to "appeal to the foreign consumers"

So what does this mean? well, there was an old rumor that MH will see its main entries on PS4 and portable titles on 3DS but this to punish the core Monster Hunter audience in Japan. The Nintendo Switch seems a good fit as it fulfills both roles but its user base is going to start from scratch.

We think it's important (and worrying) that Capcom is only talking about systems sold and market share, they aren't saying the franchise is limited by the power of handhelds or handheld culture, only that there isn't enough of them over here. That creates a large shadow... there is a platform that has a huge install base and easily the ability to run a Monster Hunter game... mobile, last year 135 million iPhones was sold that one platform outsold the Capcom's predicted lifetime console sales of the PS4.

I guess we are just going have to wait to see what moves Capcom makes next.

Abe's Take
This is awfully worrying to me, this news as got the PS4 forums up in a frenzy about the "awesome" Monster Hunter game they are getting. According to them Monster Hunter on PS4 means no more segmented worlds, ditching the current gameplay for 'better' one and more welcoming to new players. Even suggesting things like XP driven level ups and life bars. Which to me and many other Monster Hunter fans doesn't sound like the game we love. Monster Hunter was some odd action game until it hit portable and everything just snapped into place,

For full disclosure: I've been playing Monster Hunter on PS2, PSP, Wii, Wii U and 3DS,

Source (Japanese)

Rumour: OOPS! Tomb Raider 3 Spotted in the Wild

The Tomb Raider reboot series has managed to snag a good amount of classic the Tomb Raider series (such as our own Cori) and those who wasn't fans (such as me). Obviously with the 20th anniversary, the PS4 release and the DLC for Xbox Tomb Raider is on everyone's lips.


Now picture this scene. You're late, your office is working on a big project with the guys in California and you're behind on your work, what do you do? Well, you jump on the train and do your work on the go, you focus on your work and get some solid work done. Sound like a win right?

Unfortunately, some chap called Tripleh280 snaps what you are working on and shares it with reddit. And suddenly you have exposed to the world the 100% unannounced-so-take-this-with-some-salt next entry in the rebooted Tomb Raider series

Okay it's a blurry picture but that reportedly says "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" The point of interest here is that the snap was taken in Montreal, which whilst is home to plenty of amazing game developers including the Edios Montreal the nifty Deus Ex reboot series it is not the home of Crystal Dynamics the masters of the rebooted Tomb Raider, that is in Califonia.

Could Edios Montreal be helping out? it's not unheard for studios to help the main one, typically multiplayer gets passed to a separate team and seeing as we rather enjoyed the multiplayer in Rise of the Tomb Raider's anniversary DLC this is preferred. However its also very possible that Edios is taking over entirely, unfortunately, we won't know till its actually announced.

Abe's Take.

We're big fans of the Tomb Raider reboot here, we've enjoyed the story, Lara's personal overhaul, and the gameplay has been fantastic. That being said we really hope the Crystal Dynamics are still taking the lead as it always takes at least one game for a new studio to "get" what the first studio's lead.

Bethesda Changes Review Policy.

Okay, that's not the most exciting sounding title but it is something that will impact for us all going forward.

From now on Bethesda will not be providing review copies of their games anymore. Reviewers will receive their copy 1 day in advance. Here is Bethesda's statement

"At Bethesda, we value media reviews.

We read them. We watch them. We try to learn from them when they offer critique. And we understand their value to our players.

Earlier this year we released DOOM. We sent review copies to arrive the day before launch, which led to speculation about the quality of the game. Since then DOOM has emerged as a critical and commercial hit, and is now one of the highest-rated shooters of the past few years.

With the upcoming launches of Skyrim Special Edition and Dishonored 2, we will continue our policy of sending media review copies one day before release. While we will continue to work with media, streamers, and YouTubers to support their coverage – both before and after release – we want everyone, including those in the media, to experience our games at the same time.

We also understand that some of you want to read reviews before you make your decision, and if that’s the case we encourage you to wait for your favorite reviewers to share their thoughts.

Skyrim Special Edition releases globally on October 28 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Dishonored 2 releases globally on November 11 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC."

Obviously, this has upset the larger outlets as they are used to having a large amount of time to play the game before release. (a good amount do it to give the game an unrushed review, others just to enjoy their free game) but this move means big things for smaller outlets but the real winners are the Streamers and Let's Play's, these can hit the web minutes after launch and allow buyers to see raw gameplay before their purchase.

Of cause, the gamers are the most at risk, as there won't be any "full reviews" for us to use before launch. Which with Bethesda they do serve a secondary function: bugs and performance. Historically Bethesda open worlds have plenty of bugs but more importantly the studio has had issues with the Playstation versions of their games and reviews give PS gamers a chance to see if it's worth jumping in. However, to Bethesda's credit, They are suggesting anyone whose uses reviews to gauge their purchases should wait for said reviews.

Bethesda has two upcoming games Skyrim: Special Edition and Dishonored 2. We don't expect this design to affect these games too much. 90% of the Skyrim reviews will be the same as original and GOTY release, with the improved graphics and console performance shouldn't take that long to ascertain. Dishonored 2, on the other hand, is all new but is a far smaller game than Fallout or Elder Scrolls.

UNHAPPY? Take action!
Of cause it's us gamers who have the power, If you are unhappy with the idea please contact Zenimax (here) and don't forget to make your feelings known on their Facebook and Twitter.

Abe's Take
Personally, as a gamer, I'm okay with Bethesda doing this, simply because Bethesda's games are games that I take great pleasure exploring and discovering myself. Fallout 4 was a wonderful enigma to a lot of gamers but on day 1 we were blasted by IGN and Gamespot with huge guides, "don't miss this" articles and constant videos. Also, the review copies tend to be the source of story leaks and spoilers, In my case, the Fallout 4 twist was spoilt the day before launch on FB.

Rise of the Tomb Raider DLC

So, it's been 20 years to the day that Tomb Raider has graced our consoles with its presence. It goes without saying that it has become iconic and a well-known part of the gaming circle of life, who hasn't seen or heard of it, let's be honest here.

[This new content is available on Xbox One via season pass and the Anniversary edition on PS4]

With the new content for 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' recently released for such an occasion, it seems fitting to review it under the same circumstance.

There'll be writing about the multiplayer first, and then throwing 'SPOILER WARNING' for Blood Ties, because I can't honestly write about it and not talk about what happened. It's just not in me. Also, if you haven't got the DLC yet, shame on you.

CONFIRMED: RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2!

Looks like Rockstar has finally ended it light teasing and is at least telling us whats going on. Introducing....

Yep Red Dead Redemption 2, apprently the third entry (yes third) is real and is coming out Autumn/Fall 2017.

Acording to the annoucement Red Dead Redemption 2 will be...

An epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland, the game's vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.

which all sounds great luckily we'll be able to SEE IT on Thursday the 20th of October when Rockstar releases an trailer for the new game. Whats interesting (and concerning to PC fans) is that Rockstar have only confirmed RDR2 for X1/PS4  and not for PC, Lets hope that this follows GTA V's path of releasing a year later and not the path of RDR1 which never did launch on PC.

Here's hoping Red Dead Redemption 2 makes use of the PS4 Pro and Xbox - Scorpio.

Abe's Take

Sounds exciting and we cant wait to see it on Thursday, I must stress how excited I am for it. However I personally an worried about the "brand new online multiplayer experience" as GTA Online was sold as a "persistent city" and had previews of player races being interrupted by another players mission's cop chase. When the reality was the city was an unchanging lobby with some activities and everything else running in a separate instance. For reference Day Z, Rust, Ark and Minecraft have persistent worlds, GTA Online (and Destiny) had consistent worlds.

Of cause that being said they never stopped with the free content for GTA Online and the single player was great.

Rockstar Registers RDO

Well this is interesting. After two days of direct but wordless teasing Rockstar has registered a new domain name and it certainly connects to an new Red Dead title.

You may want to sit down for this but trust us don't panic right away. Right ready?

The domain is for Red Dead Online. Right stop right now and move your hand away from the pitch forks and torches. I know the rather good (and well updated) Online mode to GTA gets a lot of anger from fans who desperately want some single player DLC. However the RDR's multiplayer mode was fantastic and received an fair amount of DLC alongside the amazing Undead Nightmare.



Of cause we'll be the first inline with our flaming pitchforks if its the ONLY part of this series of teases. Now as an expansion to GTA Online that comes as part of an remaster or an follow up Red Dead Online could certainly be a worth while addition, though that might have something to do with the humorous idea of fleecing people of their micro-transaction bought cash via an "friendly" game of poker. 

Abe's Take
With this simple teases its nice to have something a little more detailed even if its just a web address. Rumour has it we'll be seeing a younger John Marston this Friday in a reveal trailer.

Hmm another rumour about a reveal this week... interesting (we are not suggesting RDR will come to the NX because life is never that fair)

United Front Games Shuts Down

Today's first story is a sad one. The rather great United Front Games (Sleeping Dogs, ModNation Racers) has closed. Leaving us with out an Sleeping Dogs.

The developer had an uneven history the ModNation Racers series for example was realtively poor but Sleeping Dogs was an underappreciated gem that whilst short gave GTA a run for its money. The team even worked on the Xbox One version of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

We loved Sleeping Dogs when we reviewed it and we loved it some more when we played the remaster. It even compelled our often silent partner Himaru to chime in (still waiting on that first article BTW). Its a shame the dev's tried experimenting with an multiplayer exclusive follow up, whilst I applaud the attempt at trying something new, we at GK-UK felt it was to early to try "mixing things up" with the franchise. United Front Games has pulled their latest early access title SMASH+GRAB from steam.

If you haven't played Sleeping Dogs we highly recommend picking it up, Its currently only £10.80 on Amazon 

Abe's Take.
Its a damn shame. These guys had such potential. We at GKUK wish them all the luck in the world in their future endeavours and hope we hear from them soon

Another Red Dead Redemption Tease

Well this is just getting mean Rockstar, yesterday you teases us with a basic red splash with a black logo and now this!



Yep that looks pretty Red Dead Redemption-like to me. Hopefully Rockstar releasing these teases so quickly means an announcement it soon... Tomorrow would be a good day for a teaser. HINT HINT!

Not really sure what to add here other than please let there be an co-op mode as well! Something along the lines of FarCry 4 where the side missions and world activities was available for two players whilst the story was kept strictly single player. I wounder if this game comes with Red Dead Online (like GTA Online) the first game's multiplayer mode was an stepping stone for GTA V's offering.

Abe's Take
Finally an new Red Dead! (Don't make me a liar Rockstar)

Rockstar Teases RDR

After a bout of illness we're back and we're back with Rockstar posting an interesting image

UPDATE: Rockstar has now deck out their twitter and news-wire pages with the same familiar theme.

Original Story: 

pic.twitter.com/BklXMlZ0UQ

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) October 16, 2016

Rockstar posted the above which is instantly recognisable as the very same style of Red Dead Redemption. Could Rockstar be teasing the long rumoured sequel to the multi award winning game?

They better be!

Both Red Dead Redemption and its Zombie spin off easily hit Game Knights UK's top 5 games of all time and is certainly our favourite of all of Rockstar's excellent offerings.

Now if you haven't played Red Dead Redemption (whats wrong with you!) then it can currently be played on Xbox One via Backwards Compatibility (as of yet RDR is not on Sony's PSNow service).

So what could this tease mean? RDR sequel, a PC release, a remaster or even RDR content for GTA Online? (personally I'd bundle those last three together) hopefully the answer wont be to long of a wait.

Abe's Take
DON'T TEASE RDR2 AND NOT DELIVER!

Sorry Sony Brothers and Sisters, No Mods for You.

So the last 24 hours haven't been as kind to Sony as they should of been, after all they announced not only a slim PS4 but also an suped up PS4 Pro. It wouldn't be wrong to expect cries of delight but the narrative hasn't been as positive as it should be (outside the core PS fan-base). Fan's are question why the Pro is weaker than Scropio (4.2 TF v 6.2TF), questions about shared PS4/Pro game library, and why doesn't the Pro support ultra Blu-ray when the Xbox One S supports it. 

Now Bethesda has stepped forward with some more news. PlayStation Fallout fans have been waiting desperately for mod support for Fallout 4. Today Bethesda finally gave an answer and sadly its not good. Fallout 4 and Skyrim Special Edition have had their mod support official canceled. The reason for this final solution? Well its all apparently down to Sony's attitude towards mods. Here's what Bethesda has to say about it.

"After months of discussion with Sony, we regret to say that while we have long been ready to offer mod support on PlayStation 4, Sony has informed us they will not approve user mods the way they should work: where users can do anything they want for either Fallout 4 or Skyrim Special Edition.

"Like you, we are disappointed by Sony’s decision given the considerable time and effort we have put into this project, and the amount of time our fans have waited for mod support to arrive. We consider this an important initiative and we hope to find other ways user mods can be available for our PlayStation audience. However, until Sony will allow us to offer proper mod support for PS4, that content for Fallout 4 and Skyrim on PlayStation 4 will not be available.

"We will provide an update if and when this situation changes."

This shouldn't be such a surprise as it is. Bethesda has had real trouble getting mods to work with the limitations that Sony had placed on them. Not just the 900MB storage limit but issues with audio codecs which Sony evidently refused to budge on. The PS4 uses an proprietary audio codec which without either giving A) modders access to or B) Bethesda a means of conversion meant PS4 mods couldn't feature any audio not found in the base game/DLC. I'm sure we'll get more information as fans bombard Bethesda with questions/praise/insults.

Its not hard to believe Bethesda's comments on this, They have always had issues with the PlayStation versions of their titles. Lets not forget MS paid for 1 month exclusivity on Skyrim only for the PS launch of the DLC to be so marred in technical problems it wouldn't launch properly for nearly a year.

Between Fallout, Skyrim and Ark (admittedly that's different) it was looking like consoles was finally getting real mod support. Hopefully our PS Brothers and Sisters can make Sony see the error of their ways, nothing like a bit of consumer pressure to right the ship.

Abe's Take

This will certainly hurt sales of Skyrim on PS4 since the most hyped feature of the upcoming relaunch and it depending on how Sony responds could affect PS4 Pro's relationship with Bethesda. It's possible if Sony responds "well" to Bethesda's announcement, they might adjust the PS4 Pro to support mods but if they respond aggressively returning with an allegation of their own it could push Bethesda into Microsoft's camp, We all ready know Fallout VR is heading to Scorpio, could that now become exclusive for reasons beyond power? 

Bethesda @ E3 round up

Bethesda had a pretty safe E3 with few "all new" announcements and was mostly housekeeping on its current titles and plans. No Elder Scrolls 6 here.
Quake's back!

Looks like making this years DOOM really triggered something with in the now Bethesda owned ID software. Quake is returning and appears to be reciving the same treatment as DOOM. Introducing Quake Champions an hero based (set characters with special abilities), fast paced arena shooter. Here check out the trailer!

Quake. Is. Back.

The fast, skill-based arena-style competition that turned the original Quake games into multiplayer legends is making a triumphant return with Quake Champions. Running at an impressive 120hz with unlocked framerates, id Software’s new multiplayer shooter is getting ready to take PC gaming by storm once more.

Quake Champions features a roster of unique characters, each with their own distinctive abilities, allowing you to fight the way you want.

Fallout 4 DLC

Bethesda confirmed the 2nd wave of DLC for Fallout 4 (still under the one season pass) featuring 2 workshop content drops and a final expansion.

The first DLC will be "Contraptions" which will allow you to build physics based devices... basically lets you make a version of Mouse Trap for your settlements. Launching this month Contraptions will feature elevators, green house kits, fireworks, armour racks (yay) and more such as stocks (lets see Macy Long complain now!).

The second DLC entitled "Vault Tech Workshop" which as the name implies will allow you to build and operate your own vault (which seems slightly counter initiative considering this a post bomb world), complete with experiments to run on your new dwellers and all new pre-war (I suppose that's technically true)  items. You'll be able to customise your dwellers using new cosmetic and hair dressing items. "Vault-Tech Workshop" launches in July. As you can see in the following trailer, it certainly seems to be taking its cue from the free mobile titles Fallout Shelter.

The final DLC (unless the guys get drunk and decided to add more again) is "Nuka World" and will be much closer to Far Harbor in terms of content. This DLC will see the Sole Suvivor traveling to an all new "open region" featuring a town set in the ruins of the Nuka Cola world theme park.

Skyrim's Back

It was rumoured for so long and now its been confirmed, Skyrim is coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC (with some PC users getting it free). Not only dose the new release come with the DLC and remastered effects such as better snow, water and sunlight, but as rumoured it will also support console mods. Ultimately there isn't a lot more to say here, take a look at the polished up new release due 28th of October.

Prey returns!

We finally now know the fate of the Prey series after Bethesda canceled Parkour alien bounty hunter sequel to the first native Indian spiritual force vs alien invasion. Yeah I forgot about rather jarring shift there, anyway Prey now returns via Dishonored 1 & 2 developer Arkane. So far it looks rather impressive and holds very little outward link to the original title.

Arkane Studios, the team behind the critically acclaimed Dishonored series, is bringing their unique vision to Prey, a first-person sci-fi action game that reimagines the franchise from the ground up… with an added psychological twist.

You are Morgan Yu, the subject of morally dubious experiments designed to improve the human race. You awaken aboard the Talos 1 in the year 2032 and must uncover the secrets hiding in the depths of the space station while being hunted by the mysterious alien force that has taken over. You’ll have to rely on the tools you find on the station – along with your wits, weapons and mind-bending abilities – to combat the growing threat and, hopefully, survive.

left overs
Bethedsa also announced multiplayer DLC for DOOM, breifly teased Wolfenstien, Fallout and DOOM would be receiving VR support and that Elder Scrolls Online will be removing its borders between players.

This will let everyone experience all the content regardless of faction or level. Under the new system the player levels to the environment so your free to join up with anybody. No need to worry though as areas that are meant to be hard will still be hard, this is intended to return the sense of free exploration of the single player titles, players can now explore with out worrying that they'll be insta-killed by a rat.

Lets end this wrap up with a glorious look at Dishonoured 2 gameplay!

EA @ E3

EA is first taking on E3 this year, with its own take on Nintendo's direct. EA's take involved 2 separate shows running side by side in the US and UK. I'm panic writing this article "live" so it will be rough as hell.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson starts by confirming Star Wars, Titanfall 2, Battlefield and Mass Effect Andromeda. Wilson says there are now over 2 billion gamers, cant help but feel that includes mobile.

First up we're getting a look a Titanfall 2 with Vince Zampella. First we get to see some multi player New pilot powers (teleport, grapple hook), Titan powers that look like they have been lifted from the avengers including hulk shock waves, and Iron-man chest laser. There will be 6 new Titans

Commenting on the earlier single player leak, "for those 4 people who didn't see the leak". Its all the same footage, we have aliens, awesome robo-human teamwork and anime buster swords. All in all its largely what you'd expect from the Modern Warfare guys.

Next up is a Madden trailer... which to an UK citizen looked... fine I guess (sorry for our US readers). Usual sports game updates, better season, more realism and better commentary. However it appears Madden (and probably Fifa) is EA's attempt to lure more people into pro gaming. With three teirs of eSports. The first is basically fan ran events with custom rules, the 2nd is one ran by partners with them establishing rules, and finally and top tier EA ran tournaments.  

Now EA is showing off an eSports bit... and it comes off a little silly (to me) with programmers being treat the same way as Boxers are before a fight. EA is hosting an Madden championship with an $1,000,000 price.

Next up is Bioware... I'm going to privately scream.

"you are the alien" is the central theme for Mass Effect Andromeda, 90% is apparently going to be all new (in universe) so all new tech, all new planets and all new races. Looks like we're not getting a new trailer but we do have lots of behind the scenes footage which is filled with gameplay and movie clips. It dose look really really nice, which is to be expected on a current gen exclusive frostbyte powered game.

EA is introducing "EA Play To Give" which appears to be in game challenges that once completed send a donation to charity for a total of $1 million.

Next up is Fifa 17 (more but different screaming), EA is saying this years entry is "revolutionary". An every excitable "football fan" Hunter is telling us about football fantasy in the playground vs video games. The following trailer is showing off what appears to be a fairly dramatic story mode following said football fan "Hunter". the character talks and looks nicely animated, it doesn't appear to support custom characters. Apparently "The Journey" (which is the name for Fifa 17's story mode.) is so in depth it requires them adding the managers in game.  

More of the usual sport title updates, more interestingly is them showing off the "new rookie talent" rendered in the Frostbyte engine.

The success of last years Unravel has inspired EA to create its own Indie label - ironically named "EA Originals" despite the self serving name, EA is actually going to pump all of these profits from these titles back to their developers. The first title in this label is "Fe" which frankly looks like your typical artsy indie title, it dose however look like it could be an interesting experience much like Beyond Eyes from last years xbox E3.

Next up is Star Wars. First up is Battlefront 2 which will "reflect fan demand" and also feature content from the new films (assuming ep 7 and rouge one), In 2018 Visceral action adventure original story. a brief alpha clip was shown and it looked very nice on a desert world. And finally Respawn's game will be set in a "different era" and will be a third third person action game (the behind the scenes video showed a mo-cap light saber dual at Respawn).

Finally we have Battlefield 1.first up is a short in game teaser for what appears to be the single-player, which is all very very nice looking. Battlefeild 1 will feature more natural and intuitive destruction, The maps also feature dynamic weather which will directly affect how you play. The game will also feature Behemoth vehicles such as the Blimp, Armoured train and Warships.

Next up os the rest of the tease and boy dose it look good, the effects seem suitably overwhelming and intense,

Confirmed: Injustice 2 Annouced

At some point I should really get an article going about all the things that are better than they have any right to be. On top of that list or near the top would be Injustice: Gods Among Us. On paper it shouldn't of been good it was based on the Mortal Kombat engine, the previous attempt Mortal Kombat vs DC universe was uneven, set in a Superman gone rouge universe, and balancing should of been a nightmare. 

Luckily it was pretty great, even like me you was not... overly fond of the basic Mortal Kombat gameplay, or the overly armoured designs. It did win me over with it's clever use of character abilities, interesting story (which's backstory was excellently written in a 5 "year" comic) and... well Batman!

Today Warner Brothers and Netherealms have announced as sequel, which like the upcoming Justice League movie apparently doesn't sport an subtitle - Injustice 2.   

Well wasn't that... armoured,

Sorry and I'm back. According to the release materials this game doesn't feature transformations as the trailer implies. What it dose feature however is an RPG style loot system, this system will not only change how your character looks but will apparently also alter their abilities and your strategies (i'm assuming by altering move start up times/directions) as well as forcing your opponent to switch up their game.

The all important loot will be rewarded after each fight, with some loot being generic and others being character specific. Guess we'll see how all that works out in 2017.

Abe's Take
First up i'm excited to see where the story is going and as a fan of DC's TV shows it was fun seeing veteran Flash and newcomer Supergirl (I'm assuming that's her, could also be Powergirl) but the I do worry about balancing the loot for online, I'm getting DBZ Xenoverse flashbacks. That games loot pretty much destroyed the online.