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  • Game Overview – Tearaway

    Posted on by micha Comment

    I’ve been playing Tearaway over the last few days, another great little game from the studio which brought us LittleBigPlanet.

    The style is definitely recognisably Media Molecule and the game takes full advantage of the PSVita’s various controls and input mechanisms, including the front and rear touchpads, the cameras, and the tilt sensors.  At times this can be a little overwhelming, having to balance the PSVita on your fingers while trying to move the character using the thumbsticks – so certain levels are not really playable on a moving bus.

    There are a few other niggles which detract from this otherwise fantastic title.

    Progression

    One of the worst is the fact that while there is a bookmarks and restore point system, there is no way to save custom bookmarks or to return to a given restore point in a level. Coupled with the fact that some restore points are “invisible”, and that sometimes there are points of no return which aren’t clearly marked it makes 100% collecting a bit of a chore as it’s not always possible to return to an earlier part of a level.  So levels have to be replayed several times in order to explore the entire level.

    Camera

    Another issue is the camera – usually it is free allowing the gamer to rotate it about, but in certain areas or sequences it is locked down making exploring a bit annoying.  It also has a nasty habit of moving during some sequences which results in badly angled jumps.

    Luckily there’s a way to switch to a first-person view through the in-game camera (once collected), which allows free viewing of the world.

    Content Creation

    At various points in the game it’s necessary to create some simple custom content to progress. The idea is great and on the whole works well, but the lack of precision in the input mechanism left me disappointed with some of my creations. Not sure there’s any way to improve on this given the platform, possibly by adding more drawing tools, but that would be at the danger of taking away from the immediacy of the game.

    Bugs

    I only came across a single issue where the dialogue did not continue in a cut-scene, and had to restart the level.  Apart from that one time the game seemed pretty solid.

    Pros:

    • Lovely innovative paper-based graphics
    • Good use of the entire PSVita featureset
    • Fun 3rd person platformer with unique content-creation elements

    Cons:

    • At times the controls are fiddly
    • Camera is locked at times or moves unexpectedly
    • Points of no-return in levels are not obvious and make 100% collecting a chore

    Conclusion

    If you like platformers or titles which are a little bit different you’ll love Tearaway. It’s a great addition to the PSVita catalogue.


    Computer Games 📎and tagged

  • Game Overview – Need for Speed : Rivals

    Posted on by micha Comment

    The only vehicle game available on the PS4 at launch due to the delay of Driveclub, but a good one! Certainly not regretting buying it and I’ve enjoyed it a lot although it does have a few tiny bugs.

    Overall the game strongly reminded me of Burnout Paradise although with the theme of Cops vs Racers.  The game world is open with various activities and missions dotted throughout.  Unlike Burnout Paradise though you’re never quite free to just enjoy the world, especially when playing as a Racer as cops will almost always try to take you down.

    Presentation is great with lovely graphics and constantly changing weather effects including day and night.  Night-time, while very nice visually, can be frustrating when trying to complete a mission as visibility is hugely reduced.  It would be nice to have this as a setting. The world has all basic terrain types, from city to desert to alpine mountains and even redwood forests which ensures good variety.

    The online component is great fun and works well, either working together as Cops to take down Racers, or racing each other.  The matchmaking facilities are quite limited though and there’s no good way to play with friends while also allowing strangers to join in.  Game sessions allow people to join and leave anytime, and the single-player missions can be played even while in multi-player mode.

    Pros:

    • Great racing game in the vein of Burnout Paradise, but with a theme and better graphics.
    • Open-world gameplay.
    • Good online play.

    Cons:

    • A few bugs.
    • Limited matchmaking.
    • Cannot turn off Cops vs Racers theme to just enjoy the world.
    • Weather effects can get in the way of missions.

    Bugs:

    • Jumps sometimes not registered.
    • After being taken down, car is not always oriented properly on road.
    • Very occasional crashes.

    Personal Score: 8 / 10


    Computer Games PS4 📎and tagged

  • Game Overview – Resogun

    Posted on by micha Comment

    One of the launch-titles available for PlayStation 4, Resogun is a fun, fast, sideways-scrolling retro-shooter effectively based on the classic Defender.  It was also free for PlayStation Plus subscribers during the launch period.

    On “Rookie” it’s an enjoyable blast, but on the higher difficulty levels it will leave you frustrated while you master the effective use of all the capabilities.


    Computer Games PS4 📎and tagged