Saturday, 16 November 2013
Need for Speed Rivals Review
Twenty titles in a single franchise… Think about that for a minute. Could you imagine Uncharted 20, or twenty iterations of anything other than a sports related game? How do you keep a franchise fresh and new when you already have nineteen games in the franchise? Here are a few hints: new cars, new maps, new challenges, upgraded graphics.
The Need for Speed franchise started out back in 1994 while some of our readers weren’t even born yet, and here we are 19 years later, with a brand new generation of consoles and a brand new installment to the long-lived and fast-paced franchise. Developer Ghost Games, with help from Criterion, took a lot of elements from previous titles, added in some cool new features, and created a game suited to kick off the next generation in style.
The game gives you two full careers to race through, as it lets you play as both a cop and a mysterious racer named Zephyr. These are two separate and unique experiences, with their own cars (for the most part), their own game types, and each with their own progression and career level. Swapping between careers is as simple as getting to a hideout or a command post and selecting the opposite career from your menu. Playing through the tutorial for both before completely diving into one or the other is the best way to understand how to play the game and can help you get into the mindset of your opponent, AI or otherwise.
New cars are unlocked by completing a set of objectives called speedlists, and completing these speedlists earns you—wait for it—speedpoints. While new cars are given to the cops once they are unlocked, racers must use speedpoints to purchase cars once they unlock them. While that doesn’t exactly seem fair, we must assume that the taxpayers of Redview County are footing the bill, which in essence means it’s the racers that are helping the cops get better and faster cars (if they do happen to pay taxes).
NFS games can generally be split into two types of gameplay: simulation or arcade. Need for Speed Rivals is clearly an arcade racer when it comes to driving, but looks more like a sim when you check out the modeling, details and designs of the cars. These are real world machines with names like Bugatti, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and the return of Ferrari, to name just a few. Now I’m not exactly sure how any police department in any country could afford a Bugatti Veyron cruiser, but the Redwood County PD seems to have figured out how to snag one. I’m thinking it must have been a drug related forfeiture.
Project CARS Now Headed to Xbox One, PS4, and Valve’s Steam OS
“Project CARS has always led the pack in terms of insane detail,” said head of studio Ian Bell in a statement. “Whether that’s graphically in the craftsmanship of our cars and tracks, technically in the way we’ve approached weather and time of day, or emotionally in how each car feels and responds to your touch.”
“These powerful new platforms allow us therefore to not compromise on the quality of our vision and ultimately that means players are going to experience something truly breathtaking when they get behind the wheel.”
Project CARS will be available for the PS4, Xbox One, Steam OS, PC, and Wii U later next year. Versions for Xbox 360 and PS3 are no longer mentioned.
“Tens of thousands” of fans have already been playing in-development builds of Project CARS on PC as Slightly Mad Studios works towards the finished project.
Top games for Sony Playstation 4
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| Sony PlayStation 4 display at a store in Chicago. While the PlayStation 4 came out on Friday in the US, the Xbox One, goes on sale next week. |
Of course, you have to buy some games too. That's easier than ever, thanks to the online PlayStation Store, through which you can download any of the 22 PS4 games now available. If you prefer the more traditional approach - buying a game on a disc that comes in a plastic box - you can drive back to the mall and grab 14 of those items.
Whichever way you go, here are the best titles available so far for the PS4:
* "Need for Speed Rivals" (Electronic Arts, $59.99): This addictive arcade racer pits cops against crooks in an alternate California that's blissfully free of traffic jams. The cars and environments look gorgeous, but what makes "Rivals" compelling is the smooth flow of events. You can start off in an innocuous head-to-head race and end up on the run from half the highway patrol.
* "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" (Ubisoft, $59.99): This swashbuckling pirate adventure, set in the Caribbean during the 1700s, is even more rousing with the PS4's vivid graphics. When the waves are crashing onto the deck of your ship, you can almost taste the salt water.
* "NBA 2K14" (2K Sports, $59.99): The reigning champion of sports sims bounces into the next generation with a new "Eco-Motion" engine. Not only are physics, lighting and player animations more realistic, but the ballers seem to react emotionally to events during the game. You don't want to make Kobe Bryant angry.
* "Battlefield 4" (Electronic Arts, $59.99): Console warriors have never before seen combat on such an epic scale. You can join forces with or against up to 63 other humans online, and EA's "Levolution" system turns the theater of war into a constantly changing circus of destruction. Think gunfire is scary? How about having a skyscraper collapse on you?
* "Killzone: Shadow Fall" (Sony, $59.99): The only shooter built from the ground up for the PS4, "Killzone" is a somewhat hackneyed tale of humans fighting a relentless alien foe. But it looks phenomenal, showing off the machine's graphic power with breathtaking landscapes and an uncanny attention to detail.
* "Skylanders Swap Force" (Activision, $74.99): The Skylanders phenomenon - collectible figurines who come to life on your TV screen - has exploded over the past two years. "Swap Force" was already the best of the Skylanders adventures, but on the PS4, the animation approaches Pixar quality. Best of all: If your kids already own a bunch of the figurines from earlier years, they can still play with them on the PS4.
The following are available via download only:
* "Resogun" (Sony, $14.99): This retro outer-space shoot-em-up will appeal to fans of the arcade classic "Defender." It's a fast-paced, nerve-racking test of reflexes as you fight off wave after wave of smartly designed alien invaders. Before you set off that smart bomb, be prepared for a jaw-dropping fireworks show.
* "Flower" (thatgamecompany, free): This mellow, contemplative journey * you control the wind as it races across a meadow - is even more hypnotic on the PS4, whose graphic prowess brings every bit of grass to life. And Sony's new DualShock 4 controller, with its upgraded motion sensors, makes exploring this peaceable kingdom smoother and more intuitive than ever.
Microsoft congratulates Sony on PS4 launch
"Congrats to the PS4 team on the launch of the PlayStation 4," Microsoft Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer said, calling out Sony executives Jack Tretton, Shuhei Yoshida, and Adam Boyes by name.
In addition, Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb said, "Congratulations to @PlayStation on their North American launch. cc [Shuhei Yoshida] and [Adam Boyes]."
The praise was reciprocated, with Yoshida responding, "Thanks, Larry. Your turn next week!," while Boyes said, "Thanks, Larry. Good luck next week!"
The Xbox One launches next Friday, November 22. Microsoft will hold midnight launch parties across the world, including marquee events in New York City and Los Angeles featuring concerts from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (NYC) and Deadmau5 (Los Angeles).
GameSpot will have more video and written content on the Xbox One leading up to launch. Keep checking back for more.
Playstation "defines gaming" says Sony
The PlayStation brand "defines gaming," according to SCEA CEO Jack Tretton. In a new Bloomberg TV interview, Tretton said Sony is putting its best foot forward with the PlayStation 4 and sees no reason why PlayStation's position as a market leader will change going forward.
"We've always been console leaders. We're at 80 million plus on the PlayStation 3, which is on par with our competition," Tretton said. "We're relevant on a worldwide basis and have been for three generations in a row. So we really think that PlayStation defines gaming and PlayStation 4 is our best effort yet. And the consumer reaction has been phenomenal, the development community is behind us, so we really have a lot of headwinds behind us."
Tretton did not stop there in asserting Sony's favorable position in the next-generation market. He said the PS4 software and hardware is superior to what Microsoft is offering.
"Well, 399 dollars, a hundred dollars cheaper than the other new entrant on the market. Far and away the best lineup of games, 180 games in development, 23 available on day one," Tretton said about the PS4. "And far and away the most powerful console. Ten times more powerful than the state of the art Playstation 3."
For more on the PS4, check out GameSpot's video demonstration on how to install a new hard drive, an in-depth look at the new UI and dashboard, and a general hardware overview. In addition, check out GameSpot's review roundup for more on the games currently available for the next-generation system.
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