Yesterday, gamers across the internet gathered in excitement for a fiesta of Playstation announcements. Sony’s first official “State of Play”, a short form trailer filled livestream, debut was smooth as butter. A few surprise announcements here. A couple exclusives there. And a ton of confirmed release dates made the most of the roughly 20 minute event. Ignoring the awful voice of the digital announcer, it’s safe to say “State of Play” was a success.
But, was it the right move?
State of Play PlayStation
Long time Playstation fans are accustomed to narrative driven experiences. A rule that holds true for announcement trailers as well. Looking back on past Playstation events, you’ll quickly find that most trailers ran 2-3 minutes with tons of narrative detail. Whether eluded to or directly presented, the trailers draw you in by presenting a full living world. Cinematic or in game footage, the announcements tend to deliver the beginning of your next gaming adventure.
State of Play, Sony’s equivalent of a Nintendo Direct, took what felt like a very different approach. It crammed as many announcements as possible into 20 minutes with tons of gameplay footage. Gameplay footage that shows what you will be doing without intriguing us with the why we’re doing it. Sure with a game like the PSVR exclusive IronMan VR, coming fall 2019, you don’t need to necessarily know why he’s fighting the bad guys. He’s a superhero, that’s just what they do.
IronMan VR Camouflaj, PlayStation Worldwide Studios
However, with a game like Ready Set Heroes, as fun as the multiplayer action game looks, it’d be great to learn more about the world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m personally excited for the idea of 4 player party game. Especially one that looks like the Looney Tunes dungeon crawler i never knew i wanted. It just didn’t feel like Sony. It felt like Nintendo.
It’s not about the violence or adulthood
And before you type “Eh look another guy to grown for fun games.” realize my complaint is not about the games. It’s about the presentation. Years of watching E3, Paris Games Week, Tokyo Games Show announcements have set a certain expectation. An expectation that I’ve quietly watch continue to become less and less important. I’d be lying if I said I knew this was coming. Looking back on the most recent E3 conferences though, I feel kind of foolish for not.
Since the release of the PS4, every Sony E3 conference has featured a short form sizzle reel announcing 10-15 games in a matter of minutes. It started off as just the Indie game reveal. Which was offensive for it’s own reasons we don’t have time to talk about now. And slowly it evolved to what we can now expect to be a regular occurrence called “State of Play”. That’s not the end though. Even during this short form experience Sony managed to pack in a video montage cramming release dates for 8 games into what felt like seconds.
8 Games in 60 Seconds? Whoa.
Games like Falcon Age, Everybody’s Golf VR, Trover Saves the Universe were included in this short montage. Forget release dates, the spotlight on these games wasn’t long enough for me to write down all 8 names. And I write super fast because I have awful hand writing, so to me that says a lot. I want to go back to the good old days when gamers complained not enough games were shown. Ok maybe not that far back. Maybe go back to the short-lived time where the balance was almost perfect.
Regardless, I’m a diehard Playstation fan so I’m going to rock with the team no matter what. But, I’m no yes man. If I see something I’m not particularly excited about I’m going to say something. As of right now, I am not entirely excited for the next State of Play. And considering PlayStation will be absent from E3 2019, I’m concerned. Your move Sony.
An Old Mech Game Given The Present of New Life By Future Tech
In a landscape nearly devoid of mech-based adventures, Konami (the company best known for being terrible) dug deep into its bag of old games and gave Zone of the Enders a second life. The irony behind Konami remastering another amazing series by the great Hideo Kojima is pretty amazing, but enough politics. Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner Remastered is a third-person action adventure set in a futuristic world where humans inhabitant both Earth and Mars and war is fought in space. Released for the Playstation 4 and PC on September 6th, 2018, the remaster was developed by Konami and Cygames. Does Zone of the Enders deserve to exist alongside the rest of the recent remasters?
More importantly, how does Zone of the Enders work in VR?
(Note: VR Review does not impact the overall score of the game because it is not the originally designed experience.)
Graphics 1/2
There should absolutely be a standard for allowing companies to use the term “Remastered” for any future game release. Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner treads the line between just better than the craptastic Shenmue remakes that Sega released and the absolutely stunning Yakuza remakes that Sega released. One major advantage for Zone of the Enders is the great way that the game was originally designed to not look hyperrealistic. The visuals paired with the level of fun the game carries makes it very possible to kick back and look beyond the broken character models. Without ever having been to Mars, its safe to assume that Zone of the Enders did a great job recreating exactly what the surface of the red planet looks like.
“Developers truly benefit from the skill of using cartoonish art styles and Zone of the Enders wins heavily thanks to its anime style.“
VR: The game looks worst. The real question here is: was anyone expecting any other response? When playing in first-person through VR the game doesn’t look bad but it definitely doesn’t feel immersive. Think about this one thing for a second. When playing in third-person all of the lasers and explosions are happening, visually at least, in front of the character. When playing in VR the player can look at all the angles of this lighting special effect that was designed to be viewed head-on. Boom, worst, not entirely immersive but not bad. Shenmue was still worse and it wasn’t even in VR.
Story 1/2
For anyone who has not played the first Zone of the Enders, STOP. There will be spoilers ahead because Zone of The Enders: 2nd Runner is a direct sequel. With that said, it’s been damn near 15 years, so get over it. Ready? Let’s go. The game takes place two years after the events of the original game. Playing as Dingo Egret, a miner working on the planet Callisto who comes across the all-powerful orbital frame, Jehuty. That is literally the last part of simplicity this game has until the very end credits. From that point it goes into true Kojima mode with main characters dying and being revived, past significantly important characters appearing then suddenly deciding they want absolutely no part of the new story, and a world-destroying battle between two superweapons on the brink that falls on poor Dingo’s shoulders to be smack dab in the middle of.
Anyone who has ever been a fan of Gundam, Metal Gear or any mech-based anime will absolutely love this. Anyone who read that last sentence and thought what the f*ck is a Gundam, maybe stay away.
VR: Same story. Really not sure what anyone expected to see here.
Audio 2/2
Sound effects help to drive the validity of any game’s atmosphere and Zone of the Enders sounds like a robot war. Nailed it; not a beat missed. Lasers flying by sound way more dangerous than they look. Explosions are short-lived, but in the moment they sound very great. The voice acting and dialogue is great even though it doesn’t seem like any of it was updated for the remaster. It was just really great from the source. The menu sound effects sound exactly like the sounds from Metal Gear Solid 1-3 so super fans should be prepared for some nostalgia. Some excellent nostalgia. Damn Konami why you do Kojima so bad.
VR: Sound is the most critical aspect of VR. If the game sounds right the player can get fully immersed in the experience. Zone of the Enders takes place in space and space is, by most accounts, pretty quiet. That empty atmosphere is great as long as there are no other sounds in the outside world. Most people can’t afford to play their VR in an isolated perfect environment but everything else sounding great is definitely a VR experience.
Gameplay 1/2
Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner Re-Mastered is a remastered PS2 game, and it definitely shows. The control schemes are extremely dated and very light on motor control demands. There are only a handful of buttons used from the entire DualShock remote. Even with the highly bragged about adjustment of the way the secondary weapons button works it still feels super dated. The biggest issue with the controls for the game is found in the lock-on system. For whatever reason, the lock-on system locks on to whatever target that it wants to and when changing targets, probably due to the fast-paced gameplay, the thing goes bonkers. Rather than simply pushing the analog stick towards the closest target to lock on, the game just cycles randomly through all the targets on screen. That’s a really bad thing to happen when playing what is essentially an on-rails shooter.
VR: Probably the best VR experience available to date. The entire game is playable in VR and it feels amazing. Jumping into the cockpit of the super mech known as Jehuty is everything most people want from a VR experience. This is a VR Experience that should not be missed. With better visuals, it would be the epitome of VR gaming. It still suffers from most of the things that made the non-VR version hard to play but in VR those are well worth the pain.
Fun 2/2
Wooooooooooohoooooooooo. Playing Mech games is arguably always fun. Anyone who disagrees is entitled to their opinion but is completely wrong. Outside of the frustration of losing a battle due to a faulty lock-on system, it’s very easy to let time fly by as Jehuty flies or slides all around the surface of Mars, the interior of a massive space battleship. It’s an on-the-rails shooter for the most part in the vein of a super modernized Gradius, but who didn’t like throwing quarters in those old arcade machines? The other issue with the game that hinders its fun levels just a tad is that the save system doesn’t play entirely nice with pick up and play gamers. Fortunately, the PS4 rest mode is a nice workaround for this objective-based issue.
VR: How do you make a fun game more fun? Add the latest technology to its tool belt. Playing Zone of the Enders 2nd Runner in VR mode feels like the way it was meant to be played. Zipping around Mars in first person perspective could only be more exciting in a Sword Art Online style full dive mechanism that doesn’t exist yet. Just to reiterate, everyone should play Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner in VR Mode at least once. It is truly an experience.
Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner is a remaster like no other. Sure, a ton of remasters exist that look a million times better, but Zone brings a brand new element to the game that hadn’t existed previously. Hideo Kojima must have shattered at least three or four rooms’ worth of valuable merchandise when he saw what Konami was able to accomplish with one of his crazy ideas. Honestly, it’s a bit confusing as to why Konami didn’t make the VR mode a more significant marketing push for the game. Priced at only $29.99 brand new, this is a must-have experience for anyone interested in VR.
Scratch that, anyone with a PSVR or PC-based VR system needs to get their hands on Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner today. Especially since the evil monsters at Konami published the game, so we never know what to expect. This last good review pushed them to start making pachinko versions of the game.
Alright so maybe my inner MGS fan read into the avatar name to hard but this VR game looks awesome. Multiplayer Co-Op launching on October 9th for PSVR is Evasion. Check out the trailer below and see “GreyFox” for yourself. And don’t hate me this game deserves the clickbait attention. (Also that might be GreyFox, I’m on hold with the developers, Archiact, right now.)
I woke up this morning, well rested from a well deserved long sleep. It was early when I went to bed. Maybe 11:30, midnight the latest. Yeah, that’s early for a guy like me. I usually find my self awake at all sorts of hours of the day and night because, well, that’s just the life I live. Either way, I jumped out of bed excited to take on the adult responsibilities of the day. Yes, I said excited and I said that intentionally. Why was I excited? Simple. The faster I got through the menial task of being an adult that we all hate, the faster I could dive into a whole new world. Quite literally.
If you’ve been keeping up with Hard Mode Gamers from the beginning, you’ll be familiar with me hounding Chet to get us a VR. And he did it. Yes, HMG has a shiny fun and exciting PSVR. It’s probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever played on. That’s not even me being a sooper fan boy yet either. That’s just on the premise of it being Virtual Reality. It could have been any VR headset and I’d be just as excited, but Chet went all out and got the best one.
“…Finish your play session by taking your headset off and getting out of bed.”
Today, I decided to explore what it would be like playing God of War on a VR. Before you get upset or confused, God of War is not a VR game at all. Using the PSVR however, puts you in a pitch black world where your screen is literally as large as it possibly can get. So I powered up the whole rig and dove right in.
A few hours passed of me beating down Hell Reavers and solving puzzles. Remember, this is now on what feels like a theater sized screen built just for me. At the end of my play session, I couldn’t help but wonder: how did I enjoy video games on a small screen before? How did I play God of War on a 55inch screen, sitting in a chair, with my head firmly planted forward? That’s the type of thought you’re allowed to have when you finish your play session by taking your headset off and getting out of bed.
That’s right, I went out handled business, came back home and laid down. I laid down and played one of the greatest games I’ve ever experienced. And the whole time, the world around me was non-existent. I know it’s not what VR is made for. But, you can’t get mad at me for having a grand old time.
This week in gaming was expectedly slow on the news spectrum, you know with CES happening at the same time and all, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t dig up all the coolest stuff I could find. Big news in the sports category and for anyone who happens to be a football fan and like the Patriots last week had some good news for them too. Also, the power went out at the most recognized electronics convention. Irony. That was a great tangent so here’s your recap:
1. Big buys may lead to big careers.
As we continue to move into a world where the video games industry is looked at as a thriving and optimal business, it’s exciting to see some of the big steps some major companies are making. This week’s big example, and award, goes to Twitch for purchasing the exclusive streaming rights to Overwatch for $90 million. That’s a boatload of cash. Literally, you could fill a boat with that much money. This should open a lot of doors for a lot of amazing people in the game industry. In other Overwatch news, the Overwatch league companion app was just released on the App stores for iOS and Android devices. Ball’s in your court now buddy, you ready to make this your job?
2. 2nd Generation VR is on the horizon.
Or here depending on your point of view. See what I did there? Yeah, you like that. Anyway, at CES 2018 HTC pulled out the big guns. Introducing the HTC Vive Pro and the Vive Wireless adapter. These new products in the lineup aim to improve your experience with higher resolution, frame rates, and more importantly the removal of wires. The resolution is said to be a 78% improvement over the still on-the-market HTC Vive. What’s even more impressive than that, honestly, is that the Vive Wireless Adapter will work with either model. This means if you have an existing Vive you don’t have to shell out for a brand new headset unless you really want the upgraded screen resolution. No official release date exists for either of these new devices, but HTC did say to expect the Vive Wireless Adapter by third quarter 2018. But really, who knows what that means.
3. Atari brings old stuff in new boxes to 2018.
I’m assuming someone or a group of someones decided to email Atari and the letter went something like this: “Dear Mr. or Mrs. Sir or Ma’am, I am a huge fan of both air hockey and pong. My love for both of these games is so intense that it has caused me emotional distress trying to decide between the two. Please fix my problem or I will go online and ruin you with one post. Try me. Sincerely, Someone no one would ever take a serious suggestion from if it weren’t for the current social climate and corporate toxicity. P.S. I also like pinball but only for the sound effects, so add those in as well.” So now we have Atari’s pong cabinet. I know this is supposed to be informative things about video game news, but I really don’t want to give any more attention to Pong.
4. Haven’t taken a friendly fire at anything Xbox related in a while.
No, seriously, this one is just a rib shot at my incredible comrades who love their Xbox so you can skip this if you don’t care about Halo, Dashboard updates, or Player Unknown Battle Grounds. First jab: 343 drops heavy hints that Halo 6 is not coming to a console near you this year. They did say that there will be other exciting surprises though but don’t hold your breath, we’re still waiting on Crackdown. Second jab: the latest dashboard update is actually pretty cool. It includes the addition of Do Not Disturb mode, new guide functionality, and more inactivity shutdown options. Oh wait, none of that is actually that cool. I mean if going DND is awesome. Final jab: The PUBG Xbox launch was awful, but the updates are coming in steady in hopes of making it a better world. The most recent update includes slight increases in frame rates and a number of crash-inducing issues have been addressed. Note: an undisclosed number of crashes were fixed but not all. {Editors Note: It’s fine, Halo 5 was a great shame anyway. What Xbox really needs it to resurrect Scalebound.}
5. Last generation Assassins go Rogue.
Ubisoft has decided to finally bless its fans who moved on to the new generation of consoles with a remastered version of Assassin’s Creed Rogue. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to play through a story a lot of fans might have missed due to the awkward console generation shift. If you didn’t know, Assassin’s Creed Rogue is set in 18th century North America and follows an Assassin who eventually becomes a Templar. Most reviews criticized the game for lack of story depth and direction, but I wouldn’t know because I haven’t had a chance to play it. Maybe I will though now that it’s available on my favorite console. See what happens when you keep up Ubisoft, now just bring an AC game to Switch and you win. {Editor’s Note: Black Flag/Rogue bundled together on Switch, make it happen Nintendo/Ubisoft!}
6. Another cross-franchise fighting game approaches!
Blaze Blue Cross Tag Battle will be released on June 5th, 2018. That’s all you really wanted. Don’t pretend to care about the rest of the details I worked so hard to find. Don’t pretend to care that the game will feature a 20 character roster with special appearances from favorites from series like BlazBlue, Under Night In-Birth, Persona 4, and RWBY. Don’t pretend to care that the game will be available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. No Xbox, which doesn’t fully make sense because an Xbox is essentially just a fancy not fancy PC. Either way, I’m personally extremely excited about the endless possibilities and of course the plotline, considering all these series are extremely plot heavy. You don’t care though, you just wanted to know that Blaz Blue Cross Tag Battle is coming out on June 5th, 2018.
7. Varric Tethras becomes a published author!
Fear not gamers, in a world where people have no idea whats gonna happen next because leadership isn’t exactly A1, a fictional character from a video game just inked a deal with Dark Horse Books and Penguin Random House. That’s right, if you’re familiar with the name you’re probably soiling yourself in excitement already. For those unfamiliar, well let’s get you all caught up. A long long time ago (back in 2011) a great game (general public opinion I would say it was ok) was released named Dragon Age 2, by the magicians who were in charge of Bioware. {Editor’s Note: Past tense?} In this historic game, there is an adventurous dwarf who you know writes novels in his spare time. He just nailed a deal to publish his most popular piece of fictional fiction entitled “Hard in Hightown” (don’t you dare make a sex joke!) in the real world. So now you to can purchase a fiction novel written by a fictional character with reference to a fictional world. That’s how bad the world we live in currently feels. We are going to extreme levels to escape it. Thanks for pointing that out Varric. Go Varric.
iPhone news, and Bethesda announces more Switch ports.
Another week has passed and Nintendo has made another strong play for all of our gaming attention. I mean how could we expect anything less? Nintendo showed up to 2017 with all intentions on smashing the competition. Not getting a stupid draw like the Canelo vs GGG fight but a full on technical knockout like Mayweather V McGregor. Fear not however, there is so much other news alongside the Nintendo assault.
1. It’s the return of the wolf goddess!
After it was prematurely leaked last month, Capcom had no choice but to announce the official return of Amaterasu! For those of you sad sad people who do not recognize the name, it means you have a second opportunity to experience the masterpiece Okami. And this time in HD. The game is literally about running around as the goddess Amaterasu in wolf form, painting life back into the world. That sentence still doesn’t do this game justice, but for only $19.99 believe when I say this is one of the greatest games you’ll ever play. Make sure you paint the world beautifully when the game releases December 12th on all consoles.
2. From the creators of Grow Home and Grow Up comes an online FPS.
Sharing only a unique colorful art style, the latest title from Ubisoft Reflections is Atomega. Don’t let the lack of the word Grow in the title fool you, this game will still have you growing your Exoform all the way up from small sphere to enormous robot. What makes it even more amazing is this all new gaming experience will be available on Steam on September 19th. Fellow gamers, at this point I would like to publicly say it’s going to be a busy holiday season.
3. ThatGameCompany sure knows how to name a game…
Introducing the latest title from the masterminds who brought us Journey, Flow, and Flower this new title is all about romance. Or something like that. I guess I should give you some official info now. Sky is being touted as a romantic social adventure game in which you play as the children of light with a goal of bringing light to where it is most needed. The game will support up to 8 players and will be launching first on Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad. No mention of how long the launch exclusivity is or if other platforms the will get the game, but given the relationship with the Playstation brand I’d bet we will see it on PS4 soon.
4. Speaking of That Computer Company…
It was a huge week for Apple fans who like to play games on their devices. During their annual iPhone event, Apple once again dug deep into Gaming and AR technology. At the event they announced three iPhones to chose from this year each sporting a brand new A12 chip and 6 core processor to make games look insane. The iPhone 8, 8 Plus, & futuristic (although a tad silly looking) iPhone X will also sport a brand new Super Retina OLED display. That combined with the massive processing power and Apple’s stranglehold on the quality of its App Store games makes for a very interesting direction the mobile landscape is heading. Super Mario Run anybody?
5. Oh no Call of Duty what are you doing!?
It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that the Sony and Activision partnership has spawned a Call of Duty PS4 bundle. What does come as a surprise however is how gross the console looks and that once again it is not a PS4 Pro. Seriously what the f*ck is going on up there people. We want PRO Bundles damnit. Rant over. The Call of Duty WWII bundle will come with a 1TB PS4 in the exclusive came green style along with a non0-camo green Dual Shock 4 and a physical copy of the game all for $300. I want the controller for sure but the console itself looks kinda silly. Oh well.
6. The Switch goes big!
We already knew Skyrim was coming to the Nintendo Switch, but now we have an official release date and so much more. Skyrim will be launching on Nintendo Switch on December 17th but thats not the real big news. The big news is that Doom and Wolfenstein 2 will also be coming to Nintendo Switch! Doom will be available this holiday season and Wolfenstein 2 sometime in 2018. Third party support for the Nintendo Switch is coming in hot, although delayed. There was a crap ton of announcements made regarding the Switch this week but Grandmaster Chet already did a really nice recap [Editor’s note: I didn’t, sorry.] so you can check it all out here. Thanks, Bethesda!
7. Good scary things coming from Korea.
I know, I know they just fired a missile so maybe making Korea jokes isn’t the best idea. However, I thought it was funny. Anyway, Coma will be coming to a PS4 or PC near you very soon. Originally scheduled to launch in August the game will now be releasing on September 19th alongside Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite (you all know I had to mention this game at least once). Now let’s talk about Coma, the horror game set in an abandoned highschool that forces you to make your way out while avoiding possessed classmates and teachers. A new trailer was released to remind us that the premise of this game is not funny. Also for all of you who are still butt hurt about the Korea joke, relax the development team is from South Korea. Those are the cool guys.
July is a slow week for releases. So, now’s the time to reach through that back catalog of games you’ve bought but haven’t played yet (unless you like Final Fantasy XII or Splatoon, you’re all set). As you await bigger releases in a few more weeks, have you ever thought about how to spend some of your quality time with the games you love or want to play more? Well, there’s a new gaming-centric getaway here in Rhode Island and it goes by the name of X1 Elite Gaming Lounge. What is this place, you ask? Let’s take a quick photo tour.
The front desk has everything you need to get started. The latest games, the greatest snacks, and the hottest setups are all here to begin your playing experience. The staff is friendly, courteous, and most importantly, big time video game fans. Before you even start no-scoping some noobs, you’ll have a chance to talk with the owners and brothers, Danny and Jonathan Fana. When you’re ready to get your game on, these guys will be ready to get you hooked up.
Right as you walk in, you know that every form of gaming is supported, with a promenade that features three tables for any kind of tabletop gaming you enjoy. Whether you fancy rousing games of Magic the Gathering or a good old fashioned run of Dungeons and Dragons, you now have the perfect space for it.
Onwards into the main chamber, you’re open to many choices for gameplay figuration. Wanna play with a partner? There’s a setup for that. Are you a lone wolf? You’re covered. Are you ready for an intense 4v4 LAN extravaganza? You’re still in good hands. The possibilities here are a spectacular way to return games to the social experience they were always meant to be.
It also doesn’t matter if you have a console preference. Steer left and you’re in the Xbox One zone while the right side hosts the Playstation 4 setup. But maybe you just want to play your Nintendo Switch? There’s chairs in the back to play whatever handheld you want. You want more? Well the back has a Playstation VR set up and ready to go, so if you’ve been itching to try out the cutting edge of gaming technology, X1 Elite Gaming Lounge has you covered on any front.
X1 Elite Gaming Lounge is the premiere location for an excellent gaming experience. Its open now and ready for you to stop on in and PLAY. Their hours are:
Monday-Thursday 11AM-10PM
Friday-Saturday 11AM-11PM
Closed on Sunday
DISCLOSURES: Hard Mode Gamers and its contributors were not paid for in any form for the coverage of this brand new business. HMG is based out of Rhode Island and find it beneficial to raise awareness for everything available to gamers in the local area.
