SCP: CONTAINMENT BREACH

Imagine a place where all the evilist paranormal creatures, beings and objects are housed, then imagine you're in the thick of it when they all break containment and run a muck. Well now, those nightmares can come true with SCP: Containment Breach. This is a free to play game that you can download for your PC, the game itself is still being updated with patches and such but it is currently, a fully functioning game. As you may have guessed already this is indeed a survival horror game. Now I know I just can't stop talking about horror games but this one is exceptionally good and it'll probably be the last for a while. So the way SCP came about was the online community putting together fictional files about paranormal entities, seems straight forward. Throughout the game itself you must escape the facility while avoiding the many monsters that wish to kill you. This proves to be incredibly intense as monsters are not confined to any one area and can relentlessly pursue you through the entire game until you either win or die. Much like Slenderman, Eyes and Amnesia the thought of having something following you makes for a very affective tension builder, coupled with this and the fact that all the monsters in the game can traverse the facility in a variety ways really does make you be on edge all times.

Initially the game started with one main entity following you, which was SCP 173 but as the game has seen various updates, there has been more and more content and SCP's added. 173, an inanimate sculpture, is still the predominant one you'll encounter throughout the facility. It can only move when you're not looking at it or your in-game character blinks briefly, anyone who's seen the 'Weeping Angels' from Doctor Who will know what I'm talking about. You have a 'blink metre' which counts down and has you blink roughly every ten seconds, so be aware because if you're close to 173 and you blink it's all over. 173 also has a tendency to travel within the walls so you will most likely hear it in your endeavors to escape, this serves as an exceptionally scary mechanic as you never know where it's going to be. Nowadays there's many entities which you can encounter, the scariest for me still has to be SCP 096, codenamed; 'The Shy Guy'. I'm not to spoil any details on this particular SCP but just be prepared, you could scream...a lot. You can go online to a SCP Wiki link which has all the file details for hundreds of fictional paranormal beings, some are still being compiled now. I'll leave the link below for you all to access the website, there are some great reads. In the game you can stumble across files about the various SCP, but if you cannot find the relevant files it's always a smart idea to look it up on the Wiki page as it may save your life.

One thing I love about this game that makes it stand out against other free to play indie games is its random level generator. Each time you play the game the entire map layout changes, sure the rooms are still the same design to some extent but the layout and the location of monsters and collectibles is all new. This element rewards multiple playthroughs and only increases the level of tension as no two games are ever the same. Now sure the graphics aren't the greatest but this is a perfect example of looks aren't everything. That said, if SCP was remodelled to look more realistic I think it would only benefit the game. There's not much more I can talk about in terms of the horror aspect that I havn't already discussed to death in recent reviews so I won't bore you all death with that. In conclusion SCP: Containment Breach is a great example of a game that when enough thought and love has gone into it from the gaming community there can really be a remarkable result. I emplore the developers of this game and I feel you will too When you give it a try. Now remember there are still bugs that are being ironed out but be patient and push on, it's totally worth it. Have fun all...and don't scream too much!

Here's the SCP wiki link:

http://www.scp-wiki.net/

Genre: Survival Horror
Platforms: PC
Score: 9 / 10

METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS

Solid Snake; one of the most questionable names in video game history, we may as well have just called him erect cock. This is probably not the best way to set the tone for the impending review but still, whenever I pick up a Metal Gear Solid game and hear that name it still makes me giggle. MGS has always been it's own genre of gaming, Deus Ex felt very reminicent of a Metal Gear game but still didn't quite have that aura about it. Anyone who's played a game in the series knows what it's all about; Tactical Espionage Action. Now while I absolutely love MGS4 I still didn't enjoy it as much as 1, 2 or 3. I still don't know why I have this negative attitude towards it, maybe I'm just used to the older, more serious games. Not to this game isn't serious at all, no, it's just feels...different. Definitely the extended amount of cut scenes didn't help; as much as I love intuitive story telling I'm here to play a video game not watch a movie. Now while there were some innovative aspects and new ideas floating round in MGS4 nothing really grabbed me, what did however were the graphics and that's something MGS has always been very proud of. I feel with the recent announcement of MGS5: The Phantom Pain now is as good a time as any to talk about the amazing franchise.

So if I don't like MGS4 that much then why am I talking about it instead of my preferred 1,2 or 3, well it is a more recent game and I feel I should endeavour to review such games. That said, I'll be reviewing old games all the time, don't you worry. So getting back to it, the MGS universe is a very complex one and without making things too confusing here's what it's all about. Over the course of the many games you play as multiple characters but in MGS4 you play as Solid Snake, who is now referred to as Old Snake. Snake is clone of the legendary hero Big Boss, whom you play as in MGS3, due to Snake being a clone it has rapidly aged his body so for a lot of the game it almost feels like Snake's going to keel over at any moment. This aspect is quite unique and does serve well to drive the story. There were other clones; Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake but this is where it starts to get confusing. Rather than spoil any plots and twists I'll say this...the MGS is a remarkable one at story telling, while a little farfetched at times there are some exceptionally awesome characters and intense. Anyone who hasn't played a MGS game I strongly urge going from the start now and playing 1 through to 4, 1 is a little dated now but considering when it came out and what it did for its time, it's pretty amazing. you ca download 1 on the PS Network and 2 & 3 are available on a HD re-release which I suggest you all buy!

Getting into the gameplay now there's only one word to describe it; flawless! You are in complete control and stealthing around in your advanced stealth suit is incredibly fun. While the CQC (close quarters combat) mechanic did take me a little bit of getting used to one I mastered it, it was quite easy to silently take everyone down without being detected. The morphing stealth suit in MGS4 is a very cool tool to have in your arsenal and that's definitely something that I'm sure we'll be seeing more of in future MGS games. Come to think of it I haven't even talked about Metal Gear...for those who don't know, Metal Gear is a weapon that was developed by the military and has seen many adjustments and overhauls since the Shagohod was introduced in MGS3 during the Cold War. It is a menacing creation and coming up against one of these is both not a good idea but also awesome at the same time. Something that has always drawn me back time and time again to the series is the graphics, they are phenomenal! Sure 1 was bricky and old but it was the PS1 years, now when I saw MGS2 on the PS2 I thought it was the future of gaming, it was that good. Going back and playing 2 and 3 now, they still look amazing and that's definitely a sign that the MGS series and a good graphics development team.

Overall MGS4 was a great game but for me as a MGS fan it is the weakest in the series so far, but that's just my opinion. I have friends that absolutely love and I can understand why. It's a great game, check it out. With the announcement recently of the overhauled and sleek 'Fox Engine' that MGS5 will be running on I feel that you all should look at this trailer from E3 this year, it blew my mind! What made it even more crazy is that this gameplay is only running on a PS3, imagine the potential they can harness from a PS4. All I'm saying is that the sole reason I'm buying a PS4 come Christmas is because of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhxtfpYo7yo

Genre: 1st / 3rd person Stealth based Action

Platforms: PS3

Score: 9 / 10

HORROR: THE BEST G3NRE FOR GAMING

'Fear' is a remarkable thing; it can show our true colours at times and in gaming it is one of the best things you can have. Horror is a genre that is capable of reducing brave grown men and women to absolute tears. There are many horror movies and few really hit close to home and strike that fear into me that I long to feel, hence I've turned to horror games as of late. Over the past few years I've recently discovered just how far the genre has come in gaming. For those who may or may not know I've already talked about such horror games as Amnesia, Resident Evil and Silent Hill but now I want to get right to the heart of it all. As you may have already worked out 'fear' is the one feeling in video gaming that leaves a lasting impression. When I don't want to walk around the house at night because I've played too much Penumbra I think that's the sign of a well constructed game. I've picked a few games, some have seen huge press and have a large budget behind it, while others have been developed by small 'Indie' companies and are a little less known.

There are many elements that are crucial in implementing fear into the players, I personally feel that sound is the key. Lighting is the other important factor which I feel definitely affects the game but I've played games in completely well lit rooms and still been absolutely terrified. When talking about previously reviewed horror games I touched on the elements of being helpless and that constant fear that something is following you. Having endeavoured to play more and more horror games it's good to see that these elements are being implemented in games these days. The whole ambiance of the game also plays a major role, when playing Dead Space for the first time it felt very reminiscent of the movie Event Horizon and instantly dredged up terrors I thought had long gone. Certainly the feeling of becoming lost is something that haunts people, making a left turn then a right thinking you're home free only to be presented with a dead end while something's chasing you does help build that climactic tension. So here are some known/not so known games that I feel left a significant impression on me through both gameplay and innovation. Let's get to it...

Slenderman

Not the simplest premise for a game but very close. You're in a forest and you need to collect eight randomly placed pages while being chased by the infamous Slenderman. It's not rocket surgery people! But that's just it, for something so simple it's such a well crafted game. Essentially what I took home from this game other than nightmares was that perfect balance of tension, much like Amnesia. You can use your torch to see but then Slender will know where you are, you can run but then Slender will here you, but if you take to long Slender will find you anyway. You're constantly wondering what's best option and coupled with that and the occasional jump scare from Slender it makes for a great experience. The low thudding bass in the background that slowly builds as you progress through the game only adds to your stress as you franticly explore for more pages. Slenderman is a classic and it's a prime example of a low budget horror game doing it right. 

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Here was game from the current generation consoles earlier years that really stood out for me. While very different to the horror games I'm used to nowadays offering that sense of helplessness, Condemned played like them but with weapons. Working for the FBI it was your job to hunt down a serial killer that had been terrorising the city. You had forensic equipment at your disposal and a slue of weapons which you could pick up from the environment which made for a fun and entertaining game. As you progressed the game got darker both metaphorically and literally and towards the end there were some seriously scary moments such as the final confrontation with the serial killer in the Apple Seed Orchard. I don't want to spoil anything but damn was I terrified to walk around my house after that. Condemned showed us that even with the implementation of firearms and melee combat it's still possible to design a rich and tense game where you feel scared.

Eyes 

Here's a game that's still fresh in my head having played it again this week and let's just say the newer 2.0 versions floating demon head definitely has me checking my corners no matter where I go now. Eyes, much like Slenderman, pits you in a haunted house this time round with the objective; 'find the money bags, rob the place and get out', all the while being pursued by a ghost which can pass through walls. Again it's a simple game but with some great ideas, scattered throughout the house are 'eye' symbols, these 'eyes' allow you to see the world through the perspective of the ghost for a brief moment, however this can alert her to your whereabouts. This makes for exceptionally scary moments when you transition to her view and realise she's in the room you just passed through. The background sounds of both lightning and the distant moans of the ghost establish an eerie atmosphere over the house that surprisingly a lot of AAA development studios are lacking these days, which leads me to my next subject...

Dead space

The Dead Space franchise has sealed its place in history and that's a fact, the first game was a true masterpiece and as a sci-fi and horror lover it was my must buy game for Halloween 2008. Looking back at the original game now there were a lot of memorable experiences. The main issue I found with Dead Space was that being so cinematic it lost perspective with the whole horror aspect of the game. There were many tense moments but majority of them were jump scares and did start to become a little predictable after a while. Not to say the game is bad at all, it's brilliant, but I feel that if I had to categorize the game I'd say it's a sci-fi shooter with horror elements. Visually the game is great and the atmosphere is very heavy. While Dead Space is considered a scary game in many people's books its by no means anywhere near as chilling as Amnesia or Silent Hill, but I love it. Despite its different approach on the genre Dead Space is a much loved gem and deserves it!

Aliens V Predator 2

While we're on the topic of sci-fi alien shooters we may as well talk about AVP2, not the most recent one, no that was awful, the old school one from 2001 for PC. Growing up, the alien movie franchise had always freaked the hell out of me so when I finally got to play the Marine campaign in AVP2 I was so excited. All I can say is, sometimes it's not about fancy graphics and next gen capabilities, this game was terrifying. When you had to escape from the alien hive and fight off swarms of the Xenomorphs it was teeth grittingly intense. Now while this isn't a horror game Eyes or Slenderman it still built tension and atmosphere while keeping the story going on track. Sure you were a big burly space marine but that didnt stop you turning tail and freaking out when the tracker started beeping fast. I have so many great memories from this game and not just the marine campaign, the alien and predator campaigns were just as good if not better! Even while being a Predator the Xenomorphs still managed to find a way to freak me out.

Penumbra

Before Amnesia there was Penumbra; a similar take on the genre but a little shorter with a little less money behind it. However it obviously must have done well otherwise we wouldn't have Amnesia now would we. The game in essence plays almost exactly the same with tension, mechanics and puzzles elements all being similar in style. Rather than being in a castle though, you're in an abandoned science facility in the middle of Greenland somewhere. The story paces itself well with the motivation to uncover the truth about the facility and find your father being the main driving points. The game is remarkably freaky and has some excellent moments especially the 'kennels' area towards the end of the game; invisible zombie dogs scare the life out of me! While it is a little easier to out smart the enemies in the game the most interesting thing I found was that the level of intelligence in them came at complete random; there's no progressive difficulty of enemy. It makes for great gameplay as you're never quite sure if what's hunting you is a slow one or a fast jumping one, again, well done Frictional Studios.

Stairs

Lastly I want to breifly talk about a game called Stairs, while still in beta testing this is a game that I've found really cool. Going back to the lighting aspect of a game, Stairs likes to work with this concept a great deal. It's a simple 20 minute long game at the moment where you play as a journalist who investigates an abandoned factory. The story builds remarkably well as you slowly discover what happened to its inhabitants through images and dialogue. When the game starts to shine is about mid way through when your torch dies and you have to use the flash from the camera to see where you're going. As the flash only lasts about three seconds before going completely pitch black again this creates epic tension as monsters can appear for a fraction of moment before disappearing again. I was watching this game as a review on youtube and even though I wasn't playing I was just as scared as the player. I'm sure we'll see great things from this studio in the times to come and I hope Stairs see a final production soon!

So by now I'm sure you've all gathered that I love horror and as a gaming genre there is so much potential out there. I hope you all get a chance to try these games, a lot of them arn't very expensive nowadays with Steam EOFYS and all, curse you Steam! Some games are even free to play online. For all those horror lovers out there please take a moment to stop and check out all the Indie developers at the moment, there's some really great stuff and they need support. Again, thankyou all for listening to me rant about horror and until next time, keep on gaming!

RED STEEL 2

Far out this is an exceptionally fun game! Having not picked up Red Steel 2 for at least 2-3 years I'd forgot what it was about; all I remembered from it was the sword play and how fun it was. Having started playing it no more than 2 days ago I can already say I'm well and truly hooked again. I remember now the only problem with Red Steel 2 is that it was too short, granted it's about as long as any campaign these days but an extra couple of hours would have been good. That's not to say it's bad because of this, no, not at all, short and sweet! This game is WiiMote precision at it's finest, if someone was to ever ask me to show a maximised use in the Wii Motion Plus' capabilities it would definitely involve this game. Last time when talking about DMC I touched on the aspect of fluent gameplay mechanics, well nothing is more satisfying to the gamer when a game feels and plays smoothly. When a game is clunky and involves rigid movements or a wonky camera it really does bug me and ultimately makes me want to play something that won't give me a headache. Red Steel 2 capitalizes on the 'motion plus' aspect of the Wii by making this game an exceptionally fun and action packed adventure. I challenge you to find something else that makes you have this much fun on a Wii; sure Zelda: Skyward Sword was relatively accurate and there are other games about but this game really does make you feel like you're in control and after all isn't that what the Wii was all about in the first place!?

So what happened to Red Steel 1? Well I've never played it and I''ve heard it's fairly average as it was released as a Wii launch title and was a little clunky. one day I'll endeavour to pick it up but for now let's focus on its sequel. You are a Kusagari, a sort of Samurai-Cowboy who was banished from your clan long ago but after a series of unfortunate events you find yourself back in the mysterious city from which you were disowned  Soon you discover that there's a lot more going on than simple street thugs and team up with a colourful bunch of NPC's to uncover the truth about what's really got everyone riled up. The story is simple, it's not going to win an Academy Award anytime soon, NPC's are a little shallow and serve only to provide missions (see Borderlands 1 for instance), but much like Borderlands it wasn't about the story it was about the gameplay. Now when playing with a WiiMote there's not too many things that it can directly reflect; a sword yes, any form of bat related sports game, golf, you see where I'm going with this. The Wii to me almost feels as if it was designed just for this game, well at least games like it. Swinging the sword in the direction you want works, the wider the swing the stronger the attack, it all blends well and makes sense. Pulling off combo's and special moves are as satisfying as that first beer you crack on a Friday night after work. Here is a game where the designers actually stopped to think about every single gameplay element before finalising it and I love them for that.

Stepping back into this game I couldn't quite remember how accurate the controls were, but within five minutes of sword swinging I could very much remember. I swing right hard, the game responds with a devastating katana blow, I launch an enemy into the air and riddle his body with bullets, it all works. Something that I didn't touch on earlier and probably should have is the whole ambiance of the game; it's not Steam-punk, it's kind of like if Firefly, Last Samurai and Wild Wild West had a baby. Yes it's a weird combo but if you play you'd know what I mean and besides who doesn't love Samurai-Cowboys? Running around in the Wild West with a katana fighting bandits and clans with your lightning revolver reflexes sounds fun right? Well it should! The game is of sound quality and i'm glad that there exists such a game that really showcases what the Wii was all about. If the story had been a little longer and the characters just that little bit more involved I'd have said this a Nintendo Hall of Fame classic. The gameplay makes up for this though and when you're having that much fun you kind of forget about all the negatives anyway so it balances out. I can only hope that if they ever make a Red Steel 3 that it's just as fun as this...

Genre: FPS&S (first person sword & shooter)
Platforms: Wii
Score: 9 / 10

DMC: DEVIL MAY CRY

Hack & Slash; a genre that's been helping angst driven teenagers vent their frustrations for years. Sure there's God of War which plays practically the same way but I've always prefered the smug, wise cracking charm Dante to the smash, kill and destory attitude of Kratos. I'm not saying God of War is a bad series at all; it's just Dante was here first, 4 years earlier in fact. So anyway...Hack & Slash, while it's relativly one dimensional it terms of gameplay it generally makes up for it by having great stories with epic battles and stunning locales. Devil May Cry 1 set the standard for the series and it's been exceptionally hard to beat since however I defineitly feel that DMC: Devil May Cry comes remarkably close to that classic stylish game we fell in love with many years ago. Dante has undergone a massive remodel in this installment and survived, many gamers were quite sceptical towards Dante's overhaul but in the end he came out on top, I'll touch more on this later. I'd just like to point out now that DMC: Devil May Cry is the 5th installment in the series, why Capcom didn't just call it 5 we'll never know, it makes just as much sense calling other popular games MGS: Metal Gear Solid or SSB: Super Smash Bros. For the purpose of this review I'm just going to call it DMC5.

So anyway where were we?...ah yes, so, DMC5 is the earliest chronological installment in the life of the legendary son of Sparda, Dante. Dante being the offspring of both a demon and a human naturally possesses the out of this world abilities of demons while maintaining the look and almost normal life of a human. DMC5 explores the early years of Dante's life, the introduction of his brother Virgil and their first battle with the demon king 'Mundus'. This is where Dante first learns of his demonic powers and how to harness them in order to makes transformations into a demon. The game plays around with all relativly straight forward mechanics and elements but executes them all exceptionally well. One thing I must say is that the boss battles are back in full force and are the perfect level of challenging. While previous DMC installments have brought some cool boss battles a lot of the frustration factor was in cheap shots but this time round it's all about you, so when you finally bust that badie down to size the reward is plentiful and very satisfying. Probably one of the best improvments on the game as opposed to the last is the variety of locales and the missions. DMC4 saw a lot of repetition and ultimatly left me feeling a little dissapointed in the lack of imagination. Here my train of thought when playing DMC4...'Oh cool city, what's next? Snow fortress, caves, forest, epic tower thing...that's pretty cool, I wonder what's next, oh it's the same levels I just did but backwards. Great! So just half effort in the creativity department so we can focus on making the villains boobs look just that little bit rounder, sigh!'

To be honest it's hard to explain just why DMC5 strikes so close to home and the original but I feel it definitely has something to do with the mixture of sleek gameplay and crazy fight combo's. Movement controls come naturally and executing combo's if surprisingly smooth, it's quite easy to pull off tricky moves and the reward is satisfying. Launching enemies into the air and flurrying between multiple weapons of varying power is so much fun. Anyone who's familiar with DMC games or this style knows what I'm talking about when I say that some games can be exceptionally difficult when it comes to pulling off moves but in DMC5 everything is so fluent. This is game that comes highly recommended and while the story may be a little short the replay value is high. Getting back to Dante's re-invention I feel that it was also a great idea to shine a light on a different part of Dante's life with a different look. The execution makes it feel like the game has been refreshed and that what could've been a stale near done to death sequel was instead a well thought out take on the DMC franchise. I hope you all get around to playing it soon and release any left over teen pent up frustration on some pain deserving demon spawn. Have fun!

Genre: Hack & Slash Action / Adventure
Platforms: PC, PS3 & 360
Score 9 / 10

N3XT GEN CONSOLES

Sorry about my weeks absence I've been exceptionally focused on this impending discussion, game reviews are still plentiful but I wanted to take this time to talk about a very important issue. So with E3 wrapping up in America and all the major companies unveiling most of their goodies for the next few years to come the question on everyone's mind at the moment is 'which developer is the best?'. While I'm not going to try and be biast, I can definitely tell you which one I'm going to be buying this Christmas. I feel the best way to discuss this topic is through some important key points outlining just what's going on and why, so let's get stuck into it...

1. The 'Console Wars'

Back in the 80's and 90's there were dozens of gaming consoles on the market each with their own string of games; where did they go? While some big producers got bought out i.e. Sega by Nintendo others simply vanished off the market due to their dwindling resources and lack of support by the gaming community. Nowadays it's down to big 3; Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Each console is quite unique with their own library of games, support and community. Sony and Microsoft seem determined on one upping one another while Nintendo (the oldest developer in the war) sits in the background on its mountain of money and watches on. I must make an honorable mention to the PC of course but this point focusses specifically on the consoles themselves. As a gamer who has all 3 current generation consoles and a partially functioning gaming laptop there are pro's and con's to each developers console but I love each and everyone of them. Only now though as we take the next step into the future am I really starting to pick a side in the war and fortunately for Sony, I'm with them. 

2. Exclusive games

All the consoles out there support a multitude of games however there are the few games that are exclusive to that console only, the problem Microsoft has is that a lot of those game exclusives you can get on a PC with better graphics, better capabilities and most likely cheaper. The playstation on the other hands has a solid library of exclusives all of which make the gamer want to buy the console just for that game; Metal Gear Solid 2 did it for the PS2, Metroid Prime did it for the Gamecube and I even bought a 360 just for Gears of War. To be honest I didn't think Metal Gear Solid 5 would coax me to buy a Playstation 4 but I've been wrong before, wow that game looks amazing. Then there's faithful Nintendo, always playing it safe by sticking to same library of games and innovating their consoles just a little bit each and every time. You've got to hand it to them, they certainly know how please the masses and considering they're ve been doing it for over 25 years that's no surprise. In summary I feel Microsoft are losing out the most here and 360 and PC emulators Xbox One exclusives will become prehistoric, it's just a matter of time.

3. Next Gen capabilities

So let's talk about the PC now, haha, here's an issue that's plagued the consoles since the dawn of time. PC's will always have far superior graphics, it's just a fact, but is it all about looks? To a lot of gamers this is the most important feature of a game, me on the hand it's the second...the first being the story. However, and this is a BIG however, sometimes I honestly wish the next generation consoles were just about more power and better graphics. Let's take a step back and think for a moment; the Nintendo 64 blew our freaking minds, 3D capabilities, better graphics and sound and 64 bits bitches! That's a lot of bits! Then comes Playstation, Xbox, PS2, Gamecube, PS3, Wii and 360; each bringing more power and better graphics to the table. No one was complaining as long as the games looked better every time.  Now I understand developers are trying to be more innovative with social networking, movement control and voice commands but it's freaking console for christ's sake. If I want to network I'll use my computer, when I play my games I want 3 things and that's it; me, the controller and the TV. I don't need all this extra distraction and other features, sure it's cool at times but I play my consoles to game and gaming is what I like. Getting back to graphics it's not always about picture, sure the technology in the consoles will become obsolete but that doesn't mean that we have to rule them out entirely. Sure it makes it easier on the eyes but I'd still pop in Silent Hill 2 and combat it's blocky graphics any day.

4. Price

One of the important features about a console of course is its price. As someone who had all previous consoles bought for me (yes it's a hard life I lead) I'm faced with the difficult decision now of which one to buy with my own money. Naturally I'm going to want the best console with the best features for the best price. Recently the prices for both the Xbox One and PS4 were revealed and it was a big blow to Microsoft. The Playstation is now not only beating the Xbox in terms of accessibility but now it's also going to be cheaper! In Australia we can expect a PS4 to retail for about $550 while the Xbox One is going to retailing at about $600, a WiiU on the other hand currently at places like JB Hi Fi sits at about $400 for a starter pack. I feel that Microsoft were definitely planning on the PS4 to be more expensive to at least level the playing field but now the console war is becoming very one sided. Nintendo again comes out being the cheapest whilst still being innovative and user friendly. 

5. Accessibility

The last point of order is accessibility or 'user friendly' is other words. While all the consoles seem to useful in the respect of you-controller-game-tv there's still a few issues that need to be addressed, the first major issues being game sharing. Microsoft what were you thinking? Mindless money grabbing has only further helped them dig their own grave, while Sony are simply sticking to what already works; You want a game, friend? Here you go! Thanks! Microsoft's game sharing limitations and pre-owned penalty fees for games only further make me frustrated at the desperate clambers they're making for money. If you want the gamers to like you and you're company don't take more of their money. Touching on the social media aspect again that Microsoft seems to love at the moment I feel that they're blurring the fine line between the Xbox and PC. If you want to make money and keep your customer base then the best thing to do is keep those two demographics as far apart from one another as possible. The Playstation and WiiU still manage to keep the system down pat...here's a game; play it using this controller, simple and easy. No fees, no frustrating limitations and no annoying add on's that need to mandatory in order to simply play a game. It's an interesting time we're in with all the arguments and speculation, it will certainly be an interesting year in the gaming community. 

Also just a personal thank you to Gametrailers, Screwattack, The Escapist and Kotaku who have been exceptionally on the ball with all the latest information and images surrounding this discussion. Now while there's no knowing what the developers have planned for us gamers in the future I feel that this discussion closely reflects a lot of current opinions on the matter and while I could be wrong about the future of the consoles I want you all to remember 1 important thing...you, the gamer are the most important thing and if you're not happy then that's a major problem. Until next time!

Accessibility, exclusive library and price are the 3 most important features for me...

Playstation 4

Accessibility: 9 / 10

Exclusive Library: 9 / 10

Price: 9 / 10

Xbox One

Accessibility: 5 / 10

Exclusive Library: 5 / 10

Price: 4 / 10

Nintendo WiiU

Accessibility: 9 / 10

Exclusive Library: 9 / 10 

Price: 9 / 10

PC

Accessibility: 10 / 10

Exclusive Library: 9 / 10

Price: 5 / 10

RESIDENT EVIL

'Survival Horror', a genre that Resident Evil defined back in 1996, the world had never seen anything quite like this thrilling masterpiece. Sure over the years we have seen some remodeling of the franchise and not neccisarily for the better either but let's take the time to look back at the game that started it all. Now while I urge you all to play RE do remember that it was released back in the Playstation's early years so it is a little blocky; the 2002 GameCube remake on the other hand was a fully remodeled version of the game with exceptionally good graphics for its time. While the original is still a brilliant game it's worth checking out the GameCube version more...it's just that little bit easier on the eyes. So Survival Horror, what does it really mean, well Capcom had this sorted out. Limited ammunition, limited saves and even limited health packs; it was all intuitively designed to make you feel trapped, helpless and really carefully consider each and every move you take. The fixed camera angles aspect which I briefly talked about back in my Silent Hill review are back in full force and make forsake seriously intense moments when being pursued by off-camera zombies.

Most people now would probably have seen at least one Resident Evil movie and have a vague idea about the premise of the series. Enter the Umbrella Corporation; a global pharmaceutical giant that acts as a front for their illegal experiments and chemical warfare development. The movies follow a different plot to the video games but still utilize the same characters to an extent. The original Resident Evil game takes place in the fictional locale of Racoon City, specifically a creepy mansion just outside of the city in the Arklay Mountains. You can choose to play as either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, each with slightly different weapons, story paths and encounters. Both Chris and Jill are part of Racoon City's S.T.A.R.S. unit, an elite team of operatives who after receiving a distress call from their lost comrades in the mountains set out accompanied by their Commander Albert Wesker and a few other team members to rescue them. What follows as you can only assume is the discovery and the inevitable exploration of the deserted mansion and the mission to uncover its dark past.

1996 original

2002 remake

Resident Evil's mansion set-up is well executed at the least, the large maze-like building with multiple stories and dozens of rooms makes for some truly terrifying exploration. The balance of puzzles V monster encounters is perfect and keeps you always guessing about what's ahead. What always keeps me on edge are the Crimson Head zombies; they're faster and more aggressive and can show up randomly, generally i'll just turn tail and run in the hope to save my ammo and health. Oh and don't think just because you transitioned to another room that you're safe, some areas of the mansion are designed so zombies can move freely about, this makes for many girlish screams as you are lead into a false sense of security only to have a zombie burst through the door and chase you! After playing RE at least a dozen times through I still find it just as intense and enthralling, given that the game itself is now 17 years old and still freaking me out does say something for itself. Those out there looking for a horror game with a bit more action but still that premise of 'helplessness' I strongly recommend checking this bad boy out, It's a lot of fun and rewards multiple play-throughs so go have a crack and kill some zombies.

Genre: Survival Horror
Platforms: PC, PS1 & Gamecube
Score: 9.2 / 10