Condemned - Review

A Blast from the past Process. Today we look back at an old classic.

Sega and Warner Brother Interactive present a Monolith Productions game, Condemned: Criminal Origins.

Originally produced for Xbox 360 in 2005, this game has been available on Steam for a while. The graphics are a little dated but we are going to see if it still packs a scare.  

The game opens with a death investigation with two FBI agents. I play as Agent Thomas.  

Evidence is gathered at the crime scene. The crime having been committed by a serial killer called - The Matchmaker. He is known for killing women and setting them in a scene with mannequins. 

It becomes apparent that the homicide suspect is still in the building. The game is a bit like 'CSI'. It is the player's responsibility to check the ammo in the gun as there is no on screen prompt. If you forget to do this, you can resort to kicking encountered enemies.

Over the introduction the player is gradually introduced to various abilities. Glimpses of the past hint at what has happened. Early in the game the player looses the firearm and instead has to resort to using found weapons, pipes, wood etc. This gives a unique feel as the majority of games allow you to carry a whole bag full of weapons and found items.

The game is more about counter attacking rather than going in with weapons swinging. You need to counter the enemy moves in order to take them down. Even during the combat sections, there is still investigation to be done with the characters wide array of gadgets and tools. The environment is suitable scary with rats scuttling in the shadows. The only way to obtain health is to smash open first aid lockers found at various points in the game, although are hard to come by so keeping healthy could become a struggle.

Secrets can be found off the beaten track and finding these unlocks achievements. Only one item can be carried at any time and so making the choice between gun, fire axe or other weapon is important. As in real life, the different weapons have different effects. The Taser is a good weapon for bringing down enemy characters temporarily.

At the end of each chapter, the game gives you a breakdown of your favourite weapon, how accurate you have been and what secrets you have found. Meaning people who want to 100% the game can try and improve their detective technique before moving on to the next stage of the game. I managed a fairly abysmal 40% accuracy on my first walkthrough.

Chapter two sees FBI Agent Ethan Thomas awakening in a new setting and suffering from strange hallucinations. An old friend of his fathers informs him that the death of his colleagues last night is thought to be of his doing after the killer used his gun. Ethan proceeds to go on the run, leaving his apartment as the police begin to knock on the door. Ethan flees into the subway and though abandoned buildings.

Moving through a variety of settings makes the game feel realistic. Even running, Ethan does not move overly fast as you try and find somewhere safe to go. Ethan holds on to his phone as he still has some friends back at base.

A slight bug in the game play as a character I encounter manages to walk through a wall in order to attack me. This was a one off incident during our time playing the game. Ethan manages to get hold of another gun, hinting that there will be an occasion coming up where he needs to use it.

Exploring the environment is made all the more challenging as enemies turn off the lights and use the environment to their advantage. During the game play it did feel a bit like I was going around in circles, but there was enough to keep me interested. Some backtracking is required to collect the required items, however, there always seems to be a weapon close to hand when the need for combat arises.

The sound files in the game are realistic and certainly enhance the game play.

At some points in the game it is tricky to know what you should be doing, but the game will lead you in the right direction. It proves a little challenging to investigate and attack enemies at the same time. If anything, I'd like more of the investigation and less of the combat.

Although enjoyable to play, it does feel a little drawn out at times. For an eleven year old game it still holds up today with both action and scares. For anyone who wants to live the life of an FBI agent on the run, this game will be right up your alley!

The Final Take

An offering from Hush Interactive which describes itself as dark footage, first-person horror. This is right up my street as you may have already figured out from my previous horror themed reviews. At 54p in the Steam Sale (price correct as of 24.8.16) it would be a crime not to give it a whirl.

From the title screen the found footage style is apparent from the interference and scan lines making you want to fiddle with the tracking on the VCR. This takes me back to many a time trying to get my old copy of Return of the Jedi working and also invokes films such as Paranormal Activity. Xbox controller or keyboard can be used to play through the game.

Eerie noises and sound affects echo out from the loading screen, this is a good start!

The game consists of four chapters, each admittedly quite short, but this is a bargain basement priced game and sometimes it is nice to complete a game in one sitting rather than battling with it for weeks!

Chapter 1 - The Interview. Starting out with a voice recording, it hints at many a horror film. The character hears about a job at an old nursing home and wanting to make her father proud, she sets out.

Moving from this introduction screen, we are now exploring the new place of work through a distorted 80's camcorder. The game looks like you are playing a found footage film; shaky and poor quality. While this makes it difficult to see what is happening, the very fact you cant see what is happening, is indeed what makes the game scary.

Similar to Outlast, you view the game through a video camera, the only light being that of your  mobile phone. Walking around the environment you can find notes and recordings for additional fluff and story. The entire game has that camcorder grain like you are watching a VHS recording. Seems unusual that the character has a modern phone, but an old VCR camcorder. Maybe I'm overthinking things as this certainly doesn't detract from the game itself.

The game has some spooky concepts. Entering a ward in the hospital it is slightly unnerving to find the beds filled with inanimate mannequins. This is escalated when you start seeing apparitions!

The sounds are weird, almost verging on a low rhythmic chant at times.

No form of map does make it a bit unnerving and certainly more realistic. This was a good touch. So many branching corridors indicates there is lots to explore.

Random notes on the door are freaky and give some context to the exploration.

Interacting with one door, uncovered a puzzle which needed to be solved before the door unlocked and allowed me to proceed. I wasn't expecting any puzzles within the game, so this was a nice little touch to break up wandering around in the dark holding my breath! I was looking forward to more puzzles as the game progressed, however, this was the only one.

You can run in the game, however, the character puts down her light while doing this making it more difficult to see what is happening. Do you want speed or light... that is the question?!

What really adds to the atmosphere of the game however, are the audio recordings that you stumble across where you hear about events that have transpired and gives your exploration in this first chapter some context.  

After running from a freaky shadow figure (who is naturally crawling along the floor in homage to The Ring), we get to Chapter Two: Down Memory Lane. The second chapter is played though the eyes of another character.

What is a nice touch here is that the character doesn't initially see through their own eyes, but instead through the camcorder viewfinder. This does leave a lot of eerie dark space around the screen. The character can switch between camcorder and flashlight.... without giving too much away, different things can be seen using different pieces of technology. A great touch!

This second level has a very quiet music, the main sound being a repetitive noise, not at all unsettling! (At least that is what I am telling myself!!) As it gets louder, you know that soon death will be your friend! I think if I were to reply, I would do so with headphones as feel this would make the game more atmospheric.

In terms of graphics, the rooms are very 'samey'. This makes it confusing in terms of remembering where you need to go and where you have already been. This adds another level of frustration.

Chapter Three: Deep Below returns to the character we met in Chapter One. Some of the voice acting is not the greatest, however, this can be forgiven given due to the cost of the game. Chapter 2 was a nice concept, but not as good; try and get through it. The female character is more unsettling, and strangely, more enjoyable to play. Some backtracking involved once you've found certain triggers to unlock escape routes, but not excessively so. As soon as getting back into the swing of things with this character, the chapter ended, making this the shortest chapter in the game.

Chapter Four: A Dark Past. The same character. Not quite sure why this couldn't have been merged with Chapter Three. Chapter Four has the same goal of collecting things as chapter two. Not quite so interesting the second time around, especially as I can now see everything again being able to use phone (light) and camcorder at the same time. Finding photos in series of very similar rooms, is neither fun nor scary.

In summary, the game cost me 54p for 30 minutes of entertainment and I can't grumble at that. It is a good hint at what Hush Interactive may be able to produce in the future, however, focussing more on the scares and less on the running around and collecting things and this game would have scored higher in my opinion. It started with a good concept, but it ran out of steam becoming a bit too samey near the end. My final thoughts after completing the end of the game was it was boring in comparison to the promise the first half showed.

The Final Take is available on Steam and currently on offer for 54p. (Normal price £1.59).

You Deserve - A Review

This is the first game by TGA Company who have been lucky enough to get the game through the Steam Greenlight process. You Deserve is a first person horror game where you play as Amy Cooper, a teenager who's found herself stuck and lost within  an unknown world. 

After watching the trailer for this game, the Blast Process team were very excited to play thisas we are big fans of the horror genre. We went into this game knowing nothing about it bar what we had seen in the trailer, and this alone had made us excited to try out something new.

Have you ever felt lost? Have you ever been to sleep and not known if you've woke up? The game begins by setting an air of mystery. Waking up, standing above a chair with rope on the floors leads me to think I was previously tied there. The character believes they are asleep, but everything feels so real.

The tutorial sections are nicely displayed on the walls in game as you go past something that you might need to know.

There is light atmospheric noise in the background, but the lack of music gives the game an eerie feel. This is nice to see as often a sound track can detract from the horror. The lack of music makes this feel all the more real.

From the start there are spooky moments such as a red handprint mysteriously appearing on a painting.

This starts as a puzzle game with needing to find hidden objects to proceed to the next area. The developers have paced the game well with not too much backtracking involved.

Early into the game we are given evidence of an unhappy child who has been bullied at school in the form of letters from parents to the headmasters, and psychological reports. This immediately suggests that it may have been the player that was doing the bullying. This is a bold move as this is a subject not often discussed within games.

The save points within the game are good. A visual indicator used for showing the save areas is nicely done in an unobtrusive way. The game saves automatically without the need for interaction bar walking through the display of shimmering particles.

It isn't long into the game play before the first spooky happening occurs. You wouldn't think that a loan teddy sitting on the floor would be described as creepy, but this game certainly makes it appear as such.

Many weird things happen at an early stage in the game. It draws you in and makes you want to find out more and keep playing.

The animations and textures are very good and make great use of the unity engine. The game makes you aware that you are not alone without fully showing you what or who is sharing the space in which you are exploring.

The puzzles are interesting without being too obscure. Unexpected jump scares are well timed, enough to keep you interested but not too much to make them stale.

The speed the character moves has a nice suspenseful walk, however, can run when needed with no penalty, such as a stamina bar, when you want to quickly investigate branching paths.

The lighting is very well done with atmospheric shadows being cast around the environment.

The first puzzle I experienced some difficulty with involved trying to move boxes in a slowly flooding room. Unfortunately the game didn't give a clear indication about what to do here, however, with some careful investigation of the room we managed to find the required item and progressed with the game after a mere 3 deaths!

Each new location that is entered continues to have a creepy feel. From early in the game the locations are varied with the same level of detail being given to each.

This game actually gave me goose-pimples!

As we continue we see more puzzles that make you think. This pairs well with the scary moments to give a nice balance to the game.

Moving from the school environment we next found ourselves outside. The character is allowed access to move around a vast area which is unlike many games which tie you in to moving a specific route. Walking down dark paths at night is certain to make you jump though!

The scariness of the game certainly intensifies as the game progresses.

The level design is great, everything within a level leading back to each other to close the gaps.

To sum up the game; great graphics, a good level of challenge mixed with free exploration of a new environment, atmospheric sound design all leading to a captivating first offering from TGA Company.

You Deserve is out now on Steam for £5.94 on offer until August 26th, be sure to check it out!

Penumbra - Overture by Frictional Games

There are things I need of you. Things you may not understand. Please do not make the same mistakes I did...

This is an early offering from Frictional Games released before the popular Amnesia and Soma. The first part of a trilogy.

September 2000 and the story begins. Receiving a letter from my dead father the week after my mother's funeral, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was directed to head to a bank to get a safety deposit box. The request was to destroy all the contents, but curiosity got the better of me and I found myself on a journey following the notes to discover a location in Greenland.

The game begins in a cabin inside a boat that teaches us how to play the game. Standard mouse and keyboard controls are used to navigate the game and interact with most of the items in the environment. The introduction does a good job of teaching controls before hurrying you on your way before the fog descends and the night draws in.

Stepping off the boat the character quickly becomes disorientated and you are challenged to find shelter from the heavy snow. The on screen images are blurred and this creates a good environment as the character clings onto life. Grabbing a nearby rock I smash an opening into an underground vault.  

This was the first challenge in the game. Using a rock to smash the ice from the lock was straightforward, however the challenge arrived when trying to turn the handle. Some smashing later and I was progressing on my way.

Red pulsing around the edge of the screen indicates I am hurt. Continuing to explore my new surroundings I collect anything that could appear useful. I remain uncertain as to what I am about to find.

After using the 'hand' to pull away a bookcase I find a hole in the wall and am soon crawling through a tunnel. Clearing my way to a room I see a hatch... the on screen text saying this is solid... to keep people out...or in!

Heading 100 feet below the ground in the remote arctic wilderness I began to feel scared and isolated from my usual safety nets (parents, friends, emergency services). Everyone who would normally support me is now too far away. I am not sure what to expect down here. Caution and stealth are recommended in order to survive the game. I am pre-warned that light sources will attract whatever is out there...

Moving forwards, a map of the environment indicates there are quite a few rooms / hiding spaces to be explored...

Notes from 1945 are found and can be read but they do not seem to offer much of an insight at this point. Finding out there are weapons and bombs locked away seems to be inviting me to accept this as my next challenge. It also hints towards a strange artefact that was discovered in a previous dig site, circa 1945.

The game is reminiscent of 'The Thing' and no doubt I will find some horrific creature lurking within the darkness. I find myself holding my breath slightly, awaiting the jump I know is out there.

Another note mentions that mind-altering chemicals may be causing high suicide rates in Greenland. The miners have symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia however the local inuits claim that spirits known as 'tuurngait' live in the mountains.

Having freedom to be able to explore and interact with the majority of the environment enables the player to feel like they are in control over what is happening. The music and sound effects add to the dramatic feel of the game. While hidden from creatures, text on the screen further prompts me to stay out of sight. If I am seen, I'm a goner!

Having no weapons makes avoiding creatures the only way forward. The ability to peek around corners allows me to quickly see whether there is anything lurking in my path.

Clues etched into a wooden bookcase indicate further what could be about to happen. The characters thoughts are displayed on screen as I move through the eerie environment and this is a nice touch to add another level of realism.

It transpires that spiders are feeding on the dogs in the maze of tunnels I find myself in. Hearing the characters heartbeat on the audio file is a nice touch for adding to the rising sense of terror.

Our first hour in the world of Penumbra is a tense and intriguing experience and the game promises scares to come. I look forward to delving further into this world and the sequels.

Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion - Review

Warning: This game displays warning message about being scary...

For as long as you remember, legends have been told about the derelict mansion on the mountain. Being a history buff you decide to explore and find out what secrets the mansion holds. . 

The game boots up with Old SNES game music and intro options screen which is a nice touch. It begins with meeting the character of Spooky, who presumably owns the mansion you will play as! The game portrays as a cartoony ‘Doom’ with brick walls and long corridors. The challenge to get through all one thousand rooms begins. 
 
Standard FPS controls are used ‘WASD’ keys and mouse. 
The rooms are randomly generated allowing for multiple different game plays. The first rooms are empty to raise suspense, while the music adds to this; with rumbles in the background and the sound of creaky doors. 
The rooms are mainly the same few corridor shapes. The music certainly makes you feel unnerved. Moving into room 13 and the music changes, the suspense continues. Choices are made by the player as some rooms have multiple doors to exit through. Empty rooms with loan chairs in the corner feel rather ‘Blair Witch’. In addition, a combination of weird pictures and large windows add to the eerie feel. 
Colours change in the room indicating something is about to happen…. Room 25 and still the suspense is growing. 

 Room 26 and a pumpkin sprang out from the wall. Looking ridiculously cute, the scary noise and speed at which it moves made me jump! This effect is repeated in a number of rooms, and although I’ve already experienced this ‘jump’ reaction, I continue to be surprised (and squeal like a girl!). The music adding to the suspense and making you feel like something awful is going to happen. 

Another note is found in Room 50 indicating the person who left it feels trapped in a never ending maze of similar rooms. Feeling very thirsty and running out of ink with which to leave these notes... a sense of trepidation overcomes me!! 
Interacting with a cross allows the user to save the game. This makes every 50th room a safe house where you can take a quick breather in which to compose yourself before setting out again.  

Entering a lift, we go down to the next level where the music gets even more spooky. A variety of side rooms are viewed…. some look rather like cells. 
Health and stamina bars in the top corner of the screen are a constant reminder that I am more than likely to meet something… Room 59 leads me into a maze of paths to follow. One wrong step and I will plunge into a bottomless pit!
The messages continue though the game, sounding like the writer is slowly becoming more insane.

Suddenly, a monster appears in the room, it begins to follow me. I run, however, need to be careful to maintain my stamina. Although I am constrained to follow the paths so as not to fall to my death, the creature is not! He slowly floats across any gaps in order to catch up with me. Closed doors do not stop it, he continues. The green slime on the floor slows me down when trying to escape, thus allowing the creature to close the gap.   
As long as you get away from the spooky entity, you will get your health back slowly, however, let it touch you and a few hits will finish you off.

Music changes as I enter room 70, continued freaky pictures adorn the room. The rooms are all similar in their design, but as they are small and short it isn’t boring. There is always the threat that something is following you. Computer found in room which gives details about the various specimens housed in the building. It reads as though the building is some form of experiment, using the creatures to examine how the test subjects cope. Guess I am the latest subject.  
One of the specimens shows as an ‘error’. This invokes a feeling of unease as you do not know what to expect. The computers have established I am being tested and the creatures have been placed there to see how I fare. 
Room 89 portrays as a lab with a brain in a glass jar. Seems harmless enough… for now.
Green patches on the floor now become more frequent. This combined with ramped up music gives the feeling of imminent threat. 
Lurking in a room, while I wrote this review, a spectre crept up and savagely killed me!
 

To sum up, Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion is a fantastic horror experience, even more so due to the fact the game is completely free and can be downloaded from Steam. This will be a game I am sure to revisit, hopefully getting past room 100. Turns out ‘safe rooms’ aren’t that safe after all!

The Secret Monster Society - Review

Have you ever wondered where your dreams come from and why you dream the specific things you dream of…? This game begins by introducing the player to a world where monsters create dreams.

Playing as the overly happy Blythe Dalrich, hand drawn graphics introduce you to the world of the Secret Monster Society. It is a point and click adventure in the style of the old Lucas Arts Games. The game is fully voice acted with Blythe thinking out loud every step of the way. These thoughts are also displayed as on screen text.

As in old school point and click games, the mouse is used to interact with items and to move around the environment. Items can be easily dragged from inventory to where they are to be used.

From the start, the game tries to be funny, however, quickly becomes a little grating. Jokes and puzzles have been done before, using soap to create an impression of a key to open a locked chest for example.

After travelling to school via the toilet, Blythe begins to interact with a range of other characters which is more engaging than the inanimate objects from the introduction. Many of the objects in the environment have eyes (clocks, books, mirrors etc) which would probably appeal to a young audience.

The imagined world of monsters does have a little bit of a whiff of ‘Monsters Inc’ but some of the lore is pretty unique. Early in the game you get the manual for entering dreams, hinting at what is to come.

Human dreams and regulations.

Once inside human dreams, protocol 8972 must be followed. Fight all or any nightmare creatures they encounter, maintain the link between mind and heart and wash hands upon exiting a dream. During an emergency, all persons must escape to the nearest exit point. Anyone under the age of 234 will be banished to the swamp of perpetual hope.  

When interacting with other characters, the player is given a choice of possible questions / replies to use via on screen text, thus giving the player ownership of the direction the game will go in.

Blythe has a history of exaggerating experiences, so friends don’t believe him when he explains he saw lights falling from the sky during the introduction of the game. Adults think he is wasting their time and wont indulge this train of thought.

This game has a slow pace and wasn’t a gripping play. Didn’t feel the desire to find out what is going on and was more a forced play.

A wide range of environments are encountered and the graphics for each of these are the same high standard.

From the start of the game there is a fair amount of backtracking to complete additional requests from characters he meets. This is exaggerated due to the slow movement speed of the character. A quicker pace in these early sections would have made the game more enjoyable and it would have felt like you were achieving more.

Music is a little repetitive but does change depending on location so never too long is spent with the same tune.

The voice acted characters are a nice touch for an indie game and did help bring the characters to life.

To sum up, if you have a craving for a point and click adventure definitely give it a look, however, unfortunately it doesn’t quite hit the highs of ‘Monkey Island’. As an introduction to the genre for a younger audience, the vibrant colours and fun characters would certainly appeal and spark curiosity and imagination.

The Secret Monster Society: Chapter One is available on steam for £4.95 

This review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Dawn of War 3 teaser?

Warhammer 40k fans, you had better sit down!

It looks like a teaser image has appeared on the Dawn of War website pointing towards a trailer appearing tomorrow May 3rd!

Could this be the highly anticipated Dawn of War 3?

We will be back tomorrow with the news as it breaks!

Until Dawn - Every action has terrifying consequences

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Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?

Will saying something now spark a heated argument in an hours time?

Can one tiny action ultimately lead to a horrific series of deaths?

The Butterfly Effect, as explained by everyone's favourite chaotician Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, is the concept that each and every action and decision you make can have massive repercussions via a chain of events that you could not have possibly seen at the moment of action. The Butterfly Effect is the driving force behind Supermassive Games' terrifying horror story Until Dawn

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A year after a cruel teenage prank went horrifically wrong, 8 friends end up spending the night at the scene of the tragedy - a remote cabin in the mountains. When things take a turn for the worst, they are left frantically fighting for their lives and hoping to survive until dawn...

I don't want to give away too much about the plot, as it really is one of those games that you need to play with as little prior knowledge as you can. Needless to say, if you are a fan of horror films then you will enjoy the ride. Influences touch on everything from Saw to Scream and even The Descent paired with a finely crafted atmosphere and sense of dread. Jump scares will cause your heart to jump out of your chest, but it's the tangible terror around every shadowy corner and that makes you want to hold your breath and steel yourself for what is to come.

Regulars will know that I'm a huge fan of horror games, and I rank Outlast as one of my favourite games this generation, but Until Dawn is probably one of the scariest games I have played for a long time!

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Suermassive have done excellent things with this PS4 exclusive, the facial animations in particular are phenomenal! While still not completely lifelike, at times they get very close - and the uncanny valley effect of these computer drawn emotions pays off in particular with the character of Doctor Hill, a psychiatrist who periodically probes your mental state throughout the cause of the game. Equal parts creepy and intriguing, he has probably the best facial animation I've seen in a game.

The score is also great, with strings jangling the nerves and adding to the whole interactive movie experience. It hits the beats perfectly and manages to replicate the kinds of soundtracks heard in the films this game drawns so many of its ideas from.

Voice acting is mostly top notch, a few misses but the majority of the cast (Including Hayden Panettiere from Heroes and Brett Dalton from Marvel's Agents of Shield) manage to tap into the slasher movie genre and create characters that seem realistic, some likable, some you just want to punch in the face. This mix of character types creates some of the difficult choices created by the Butterfly Effect System

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What could have been a retread of the type of gameplay seen is Heavy Rain is given more substance through the much hyped Butterfly Effect System. The game will track what decisions and choices you make over the course of the game, and each of these will play out differently depending on what you do. Do you follow a path cautiously taking the safe route rather than rushing ahead blinding? Do you sneak a peak at someone else's phone? Do you sacrifice your life to save someone else? Would you kill a friend in order to save another? These are all choices you will have to make and will all alter the story that unfolds.

On my playthrough I managed to finish the game with 5 of the initial 8 friends alive. Not a great run through but each agonizing decision made me want to save them all, even those who annoyed me, and felt genuine regret when I made the wrong choice! It's like having to face one of Jigsaw's games, and sadistically you will want to carry on to see it through to its conclusion. Next time I'm going to try and save them all, next time I wont make the same mistakes! While not the longest game in the world, clocking in at about 10 hours, it does have lots of replayability to try and see each and every possible outcome and find all of the hidden clues. I genuinely believe that each person who plays this will do things different and get a unique experience. Each chapter consists of an hour of the companions night, playing out between different characters until that hour is over. These are preceded by TV Series style "Last time on Until Dawn" segments that keep you up to date with what decisions have been made so far.

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If you have a PS4 and are a fan of horror then you really need to pick this game up! I finished it in two sittings, with the game drawing me into its world as the hours flew by, and at the end of it I already wanted to go digging into other corners to see what was down paths of fate i didn't take. Yes, it is QTE and talking heavy, and its probably more an interactive story than a true game, and this is something that will not appeal to everyone, but it is something that has to be experienced! I give it a spooky Buy it Now award!

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Until Dawn by Supermassive Games is out now for PS4

MagNets - More bot netting fun than you can shake a stick at!

Poor Park Ranger Faraday! Minding his own business one day when the Polarity Park MagNetPets go missing! Oh no!! And to make matters worse, the Bloxbots have gone properly mental and started trashing everything of value!

The Ranger, as head of Bloxbot maintenance is tasked by his rather pushy boss with the job of bringing order back to Polarity City.

This isn't done with guns, brute strength or magic! Park Ranger Faraday has got something niftier than all those! He's armed with nothing more than a Electromagnetic Net better known as a "MagNet" and must use skill and agility to capture the misbehaving bots in order to turn them into scrap! With the fragments of scrap he can use handy Recycletrons scattered around each stage in order to get important items to advance his progress throughout the level! But he needs to watch out, as Bloxbots are not the most friendly things in the world and the poor ranger may find himself quickly overwhelmed! While looking out for himself, he also needs to keep an eye on anything else in the stage getting attacked - If he's not careful the Bloxbots may destroy them and cause him to fail that stage!

We first came across MagNets when Richard and the team introduced it to us at the Gadget Show last year, and it immediately seemed like a fun and novel idea with lashings of of old school gaming love rather than the generic brown shooters everyone seems to be playing these days! I was, to be fair, a bit rubbish at it - as you may have seen from the below video!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCUMzDfldcA[/embed]

I think in the preview build the bad guys hit you for more damage - thankfully the release version is more forgiving! That's not to say the game isn't challenging however, there's much pleasure to be had in juggling the task of collecting enough scrap and solving the puzzles while defending the areas that are being attacked!

The game is great fun to play, with the netting mechanic working really well, and this is boosted by the visuals and music! The look of the game is great with some awesome artwork by Phil Corbett who has also done stuff for Nickelodeon and Disney! The vibrant colours and fun characters really lead themselves to the game and scream personality! Check out some of his concept art below!

Likewise, the sound is great with some amazing music that nails the vibe of the game with some suitably retro sounding tunes spliced with a dance beat!

While the general aim of each stage is the same, the game slowly introduces new concepts and abilities that mix up the collect-em-um happenings! This ensures that things do not get tired while not overloading the player all at once! The difficulty also gradually ramps up from a few enemies to swarms of vicious bots out to get you! The environments are also varied, with everything from a robot concert in the park to more sci-fi locations! To spice things up a bit there are also boss battles, the first of which being a rather angry looking robotic bunny!

I would highly recommend picking up the game if you want something a bit different than everything else out there, the netting mechanic is great and there's a huge sense of achievement when you finally finish a stage flawlessly! One minor criticism I have is the game isn't the easiest to play o a keyboard, and really needs a gamepad for full enjoyment - Hopefully we see the game come to consoles, as it really is something that would be great for a quick blast of in the comfort of the living room!

And so we're please to award MagNets our first Buy It Now award!

MagNets is out now and can be bought here for £7.99

MagNets by Total Monkery out now!

Those of you who remember our Gadget Show coverage last year may recall one of our favorite games of the event was MagNets by Total Monkery!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCUMzDfldcA[/embed]

After a busy year of shows and events, and a successful Greenlight campaign on Steam the game is finally available to buy! Our review will be coming over the next few days, but needless to say if you like old school arcade action then you need to check it out!

Check out the trailer below and don't forget to visit the developers over at Total Monkery!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2umCbt2c3NA[/embed]

MagNets is available to buy here - currently on offer at £7.19

Through The Dark Portal... Again!

It's hard to believe its been almost 10 years since we first stepped foot into Azeroth, but tonight marks the launch of the latest World of Warcraft expansion - Warlords of Draenor! With a raised level cap of 100, new dungeons and raids, garrisons and an intact Draenor to explore it's no exaggeration that some of the Blast Process team are rather excited!

We'll let you know our thoughts on the expansion once we have managed to sink our teeth into it, and I'm sure we will have many tales to share of our adventures in Draenor!

Warlords launches at 11pm tonight - and as you can see from the image above The Dark Portal is once again a hive of activity...

...See you on the other side...

New Blizzard Game!! Overwatch - Beta out 2015

Blizzard have announced their first new IP in 17 years - Overwatch!!! From the trailer looks to be a pixar styled team based multiplayer shooter - and if the game is anything like the trailer it should be awesome!

Blizzard showed some gameplay in a number of themed arenas Egyptian, Japanese and Victorian London - the game has a cartoony style and looks to play like Team Fortress, but with some awesome features like teleportation, wall climbing and close combat, alongside more traditional elements such as crafting turrets.

Overwatch is due to have a beta in 2015! More as we hear it!!

Hearthstone - Goblins Vs Gnomes coming in December 2014

New expansion to Hearthstone - Goblins VS Gnomes with 120 new cards! Looks to be a hilarious engineer based expansion with such deadly devices as exploding sheep and the Annoy-o-tron!

It's due to release next month!

Also of interest is the Android version of Hearthstone due out in December!

More as we hear it!

Blizzcon 2014

Tonight marks the start of Blizzcon 2014, and the Blastprocess crew are here to keep you updated on the news as it happens! World of Warcraft has been a huge chunk of post of our lives - and as this is the 20th anniversary of Warcraft and 10th anniversary of World of Warcraft we're sure exciting stuff will be coming soon...

Guardians of the Galaxy - Out of this world!

It's not just videogames old and new that we love at Blast Process! Many of the team are also avid comic book geeks, and it's no exaggeration that at a few of us were rather excited for the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...

Guardians of the Galaxy, based on the Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning 2008 reboot of the team, was always going to be a risky sell for Marvel. Only the hardcore fans know of the comics, and isn't as iconic as Captain America or Hulk - However the same could be said for Iron Man before the first film, and we all know how that turned out! Still, without the draw of well known characters a few feared that this could be a flop compared to the rather excellent collection of films so far.

Thankfully, Guardians of the Galaxy is a fantastic addition to the series, and frankly my favourite one so far, even eclipsing the nerdgasm that is Avengers Assemble! For a world tiring from superhero overload, Guardians mixes things up by taking us on an action packed sci-fi comedy epic with an awesome 70's soundtrack!

Rather than a band of infallible heroes, the Guardians are a bunch of losers and outcasts. First up we have Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) a Han Solo style smuggler and pirate who calls himself Star-Lord whilst sleezing his way through the female population of the galaxy while listening to his mixtape of 70's hits. Next we have Gamora (Zoe Saldana) assassin and daughter of the mad titan Thanos, she's a bad-ass warrior who is out to avenge for everything her father has done. The subtly named Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) is the muscle of the team a mighty warrior who has no sense of metaphor - in his own words, nothing goes over his head, his reflexes are too quick!

Finally we come to the true stars of the film, Rocket - a genetically engineered talking homicidal raccoon-thing mercenary voiced by Bradley Cooper who shows that a wisecracking CGI character can be so much more than Jar-Jar Binks! His sidekick Groot is a giant walking tree that can only say "I am Groot", hilariously played by Vin Diesel! Groot steals every single scene he is in, somehow managing his low vocabulary not become tedious over the run of the film.

The film expands on what has happened so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe regarding the Infinity Stones and sets things up for the people who want to obtain them...

Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most enjoyable films I have seen in a long time, and had a stupid grin pasted across my face for the duration - from the hilarious script to the fantastic soundtrack (Seriously, go and buy it now - its that good!) It left me wanting to spend more time with the characters, I promptly pre-ordered the Blu-ray and started counting down the days until the squeal is out!

Guardians is everything that I want the new Star Wars films to be, and it certainly does a better job of crafting a sci-fi world with a lighthearted swashbuckling vibe than episodes 1-3 did. Episode 7 is going to have to pull something pretty special out of the bag to top what Marvel have put out with this film!

Finally I want to mention briefly the post credits scene, so if you don't want it spoiled before you see it make sure you close this page now...

... Still with us? Ok, last spoiler warning!

The post credit scene shows The Collector being licked by a dog in a space suit (most probably Cosmo, a dog sent into space by the soviets who also happens to have telekinetic powers!) and then being given grief by non other than Howard the Duck!

After the fairly horrific Lucas film, most people never expected to see Howard again, especially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - this post credits scene opens the door for things even stranger than Rocket and Groot!

Go out and see Guardians of the Galaxy now! You will not regret it! Now excuse me while I get in line for Avengers: Age of Ultron...

TerraTech Kickstarter now Live!

The guys at Payload studios have just launched their Kickstarter for the frankly awesome Terratech! The BlastProcess team checked it out at the Gadget Show this year, and by all accounts it was one of our favourite games at the event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXRb_9jFA_I

Recently the team released a demo as shown off by Craig in his Let's Play vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-4PyFX5oGM

The game is well worth a look at, and if you're quick you can get the early bird rewards to bag the game at a bargain £10 if the kickstarter is sucessful!

Check out the Kickstarter here!

Steam Summer Sale 2014

It's that time of the year when wallets everywhere scream out in terror as we all download games that we may not have even installed by the following year!

That's right, the Steam Summer Sale is upon us yet again!

From today until the 30th June, Steam will be offering their wares at reduced prices, with a rotating selection of daily and flash deals! Bargains are to be had such as The Witcher 2 for £3!!

Make sure to keep an eye open for the community voted flash deals - as these tend to offer the biggest discounts.

As usual, there are also trading cards up for grabs that can be crafted for special rewards, or just sold on the market to fund your digital addiction!

Steam Summer Sale

Daylight - Randomly Generated Scares!

Daylight starts promisingly with a haunting soundtrack which leaves you feeling unsure what lies ahead, though the suspense is destroyed a little bit by the fact it takes a very long time to load. This is no doubt because of the randomly generated maps

You play as a character called Sarah who awakens in a darkened room, unsure of where you are with a voice telling you that ‘you must succeed’. You have a mobile phone which acts as your map and is primary light source. It appears as though you are in some kind of abandoned building.

Quickly into the game you stumble across some glow sticks which do offer some light and also highlight objects you can interact with. These sticks also show where you have walked so that you can retrace your steps if you need to double back because you have got lost in the labyrinthine corridors. Unfortunately, the glow sticks are entirely pants at lighting the surroundings and offer none of the security of Outlast’s night-vision mode. Even with glow stick in hand, you are stumbling around aimlessly in the dark. Clearly Sarah isn’t the most physical person in the world as she can only carry 4 glow sticks at any one time before her inventory is full. Surely, if you are stuck in an abandoned asylum you would be shoving as many glow sticks as you could into your pockets.

The objective of the game is very similar to that of Slender, in which you have to find 6 fragments of memories hidden around the stage before you can make your way to the exit. All the while, trying to not be killed by sinister supernatural witches. These will kill you if you look at them too long, not entirely unlike the Slender Man. Your ways of combating these are either running for your life, or igniting a flare which for some reason destroys the paranormal threat. Unfortunately, like the glow sticks you can only carry a limited number of these.

The levels are randomly generated each time you play which keeps the game fresh on multiple play-throughs. However, this does make the layout of the stages a bit chaotic and without all the charms of Outlast’s lovingly crafted asylum. Another downside to random levels is that the game can get a bit laggy as it is generating the environments at the start of each stage. That is not to say the game isn’t scary, the music and sound design is very well done and there are still jumps a-plenty. It is just lacking that little ‘je ne sais quoi’ that other horror games on the market have. On a second play through we encountered an entire area much different to that of our first play through. This gave the game a distinctly different feel and kept up the tension as we couldn’t head through on auto-pilot. This is one element where the game does beat Outlast, but only if that level generates.

Interestingly, this is the first game to be released using the brand spanking new Unreal 4 engine. Disappointingly, it is hard to tell the difference between this and a last gen game and it certainly doesn’t use the console to its full potential.

As you are walking though the deserted environment the atmosphere becomes more tense when you hear the distant sound of running feet and the glimpse of a paranormal terror. Strange sounds and unsettling string do make this a creepy game, with strange moans and phones which ring as you pass. It is just a shame that the rest of the game isn’t as polished as the sound design.

The game would be better for the user if you were given a little more illumination. I understand why they wanted the game to be difficult to navigate, however, I do think just a touch more light would allow you to see more of the creepy set pieces. The fact that it has been released so close in time to Outlast means that it can’t avoid any inevitable comparisons to Red Barrel’s fright-fest.

“What the Hell is this?’ asks Sarah as she walks into a room filled with crazy markings on the walls. She experiences some kind of freaky flash back and is transported to a room with un-nerving photos on the wall. Not to forget the battered teddy which she is clutching in her left hand. No explanation is given, just that this is a key artifact in escaping the terror she is living through. Unfortunately, when holding said bear, you are unable to use glow sticks or flares. This does increase the terror as you are left with minimum vision.

At points in the game you feel like you are wandering aimlessly as you encounter dead end after dead end with nothing occurring in between.

If you are a fan of horror it’s definitely worth a play. Especially as there is currently a discount for PlayStation plus subscribers, however, in all honesty, your money is better spent on the truly terrifying Outlast and it’s recent expansion, Whistleblower.

Daylight is available on PlayStation 4 for £10.25 (£8.20 for PS+ members)

It is also available for PC on Steam for £11.99

Outlast: Whistleblower – “It’s as scary as HELL!!”

After the spine tingling chills I was left with after completing Outlast, I couldn’t wait to experience the next episode of TERROR from Red Barrels. Out today on PS4 and PC, Whistleblower continues the story begun in Outlast by showing us the events that happened in the lead up to the original game.

The game is set in the same Mount Massive Asylum. You play as a software engineer, Waylon Park, who is out to expose the sinister goings on of the Murkoff Corporation. The game begins with an email being composed to send to the journalist you play in the original game. However, things quickly spiral out of control and the player is once again left fighting for their life in a mission to escape in one piece!

All the controls are the same so that made it easy to play and navigate my way round the game. It doesn't hold you by the hand like the first game did. This game assumes you know what you are doing. If you've not played Outlast for a while then maybe it would be an idea to re-familiarise yourself with these before you jump into the expansion. The atmosphere is still so tense you could cut it with a discarded rusty scalpel. With a sinister sound track and nerve-wracking sound effects, the sections of the game where there is pure silence are even more un-nerving.

I survived for 14 minutes before my first death after meeting a stark-bollock naked man carrying what can only be described as a rotary buzz-saw. It's more of the same as Outlast, however, that is not necessarily a bad thing (possibly what the deranged psychiatric doctor ordered)! As I reloaded for take two it went straight to the scene with the aforementioned naked saw man saying "Feed me". I didn't last long. The inmates are much cleverer than last time. When they see you they don't give up. Hiding in the lockers will work, but you have to make sure they don’t see you hide. Many a panicked moment will be spent trembling in a locker unsure of what is happening outside the safety of a closed door.

As in the original game you have no weapons whatsoever and you are only armed with the trusty night-vision camcorder. This allows you to see in the pitch black environment, however, it guzzles batteries quicker than a Sega GameGear! You will spend most of your time frantically scrambling around the decrepit asylum searching obsessively for batteries. As the battery light flickers to alert you to its impending death, you are left wondering whether it safer see where you are moving to in the pitch black environment, or save those precious few seconds of illumination for when you might really need them.

There are areas of relative brightness in the game which do break up the oppressive darkness and give you a moment to gather yourself before you next venture into the unknown. Like the first game there are puzzle elements, such as finding the keys to open a set of handcuffs. These must be completed in order to continue further and usually involve a face off with a particularly nasty enemy. These quests are not too challenging but ensure you fully appreciate the game to its potential. These sections are mixed up with some frantic time-based antics too. Don’t want to give anything away, however, these will get your pulse racing!

As in the original game there are some epic set pieces which have you literally jumping off the chair and screaming like a girl! There are moments in the game which are clearly up there with the legendary dog scene from Resident Evil. Whilst not pushing the PS4 to the level of games such as Infamous, the game still looks great. There are some awesome lighting effects and great atmospheric environments. The night vision in particular really draws you into the game. I can only imagine how terrifying this thing would look on Oculus Rift or Project Morpheus! Hopefully, this is the kind of game that will end up on them when they are finally released.

If you want to see a taste of the original game, don’t forget you can still check out Mike and I scaring the crap out of ourselves in out Let’s Play Outlast Video Series!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lMVDPdxn0c

Whistleblower is available now on the PS4 Store at £7.69. It is also available for PC on Steam at £5.99, with the original game being on offer at £5.09.