In Defence of BioWare

By Liam Lambert

In the wake of the recent announcement that EA now owns the rights to develop and publish “core” Star Wars games, some predictable yet reasonable discussions have arisen around the internet pertaining to what these game might actually be. Of course, fans came out in droves to declare that DICE would be the “obvious” choice to develop Battlefront 3, and there are even some smaller groups entertaining the idea that Visceral Games might develop a game based on the ludicrous (yet highly entertaining) zombie-horror book Death Troopers.

As an avid Star Wars fan and games enthusiast, these reactions didn’t surprise me, and it was actually nice to see many fans becoming slightly hopeful about new Star Wars fiction, even if that hope was mixed with a pinch of salt and heap of apprehension. What did surprise me though, was the reaction many other enthusiasts like myself had towards the idea that BioWare might return to make a new Knight of the Old Republic game, or a different single player Star Wars RPG. Instead of the overwhelming sense of happiness and flashing neon signs that invade my brain when I hear the words KotOR, many gamers seemed annoyed or simply apathetic at the prospect of BioWare returning to the post-Baldur’s Gate series that successfully brought them to a more mainstream audience.

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Demo Impressions: Fuse

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When Fuse was revealed at E3 2011 under its original title “Overstrike”, it had people pretty excited. A new IP from Insomniac Games that had a colourful pallet, a quirky, over the top art style, and a sense of humour; “Overstrike” was a breath of espionage flavoured fresh air amidst its brown and grey shooter pals. When EA rebranded “Overstrike” as Fuse late last year, the reception was more of a lukewarm sigh of frustration. Many gamers and pundits noticed that the game had undergone a significant makeover, trading in a fair amount of its more colourful style for a grittier, darker look.

Although I was among those critical of this decision and the new direction “Overstrike” seemed to be taking, after playing what was a thorough (albeit short) demo for Fuse, I feel confident that the game has still retained much of its charm, along with bundles of fun to boot.

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News: EA and Disney Sign Exclusive Star Wars Development Deal

Following on from the closure (or “re-branding”) of LucasArts last month, Disney has now signed a deal with Electronic Arts for the publisher to exclusively release “core” Star Wars games, while Disney handles casual and mobile games within the franchise.

Veteran development studios DICE, BioWare and Visceral will be developing as-of-yet unannounced Star Wars games as part of the deal.

I’m swinging both ways on this one. On the one hand, the idea of BioWare being allowed to make another (proper) Knights of the Old Republic game excites me immensely, and the thought of DICE working on Battlefront 3 is rather interesting. On the other hand, I’m pretty sick of EA damn near ruining every franchise the acquire, and there’s only so much molestation the Star Wars franchise can take.

What are your thoughts on what’s sure to be a pretty huge part of the industry in the years to come?

Late Review: Far Cry 3

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Open world games tend to be tricky to get right, due in no small part to the expected size and scale that these games usually aim for. Ubisoft knows all too well that just cramming tons of content into an open world doesn’t always make for an enjoyable game (see Assassin’s Creed 3), and can oftentimes make the whole thing feel bloated and messy.

A tropical, open-world first person shooter, Far Cry 3 could have suffered the same fate by relying on repetitive missions and dull set pieces. Thankfully, the team at Ubisoft Montreal seemed to grasp that less can sometimes be more, and Far Cry 3 is a game that feels fresh and fun, for the most part.

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A Blank Poem

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By Liam Lambert

Let me tell you the tale of a man most ordinary,

The contents of which, is decidedly varied,

He may have a dark past, a family divided,

We just announced the game though, so we haven’t decided.

We’ll start with his name; our man is called “Blank”,

(The publisher wanted it, we thought it was wank),

White, American, dashing and handsome,

I know what you’re thinking; “just like Ted Danson”.

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Review: Injustice: Gods Among us

By Darwin Grey

I love fighting games. Of all the fighting games I’ve ever played, however, one fairly unknown fifth generation title stands out: “X-Men: Mutant Academy II”.It proved to me that comic-book heroes (and villains) and fighting games go together like peanut butter and banana.

Unlike that game, however, DC’s plan to bring out a fighting was met with autistic howling from 30-year old shut-ins, and they cried “But how do you balance Superman, he’s so overpowered!” as they apparently weren’t aware that Superman had already balanced in a previous fighting game called Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe.

So, to get all of that garbage out of the way, none of the fighters in Injustice are overpowered. I think game developers learnt how to balance fighting games a few seconds after that someone pointed out that that might be a problem. So, yes, Superman’s heat vision doesn’t insta-kill his opponents and Green Arrow can throw just as mean a punch as Doomsday. But, if hyper-realism is your deal, then neither fighting games nor superheroes are for you.

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News: GameInformer Announces Batman: Arkham Origins

Keeping up with their usual duties as a pseudo-PR company, GameInformer has announced the next title in the Arkham series: Batman: Arkham Origins. The game will be developed by Warner Bros Montreal, and will follow the adventures of a younger Bruce Wayne as he first encounters supervillains. 

The main plot will allegedly follow 8 assassins who attempt to kill Batman on Christmas Eve, and Deathstroke has been confirmed as one of the game’s villains.

Also announced is a Vita/3DS title called Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, in an attempt to create the most convoluted videogame title ever. 

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BioShock Infinite Reminds Me Why I Love Videogames


[Warning: This article contains some minor spoilers for BioShock Infinite)

I’ve always been insecure about divulging my age on the internet, particularly within pieces of writing that I publish on the Internet. When I’m discussing the ins and outs of videogames across various outlets on the worldwide web, I often feel as though my opinions don’t matter because of my relative youth, and any inexperience that might come with it. The truth is, I think about videogames for most of the hours that I’m awake. When I’m not playing them, I’m writing about them. When I’m not writing about them, I’m daydreaming about them (much to the detriment of my social and academic lives). Videogames are my favourite art form.

I am of the opinion that games provide us with a form of entertainment like no other. A combination of music, cinematographic techniques, literary devices, art and gameplay, games combine every other artistic medium with their own to create experiences that feel like a digital banquet of art and creativity, experiences that feel a lot like film, literature, music etc, but with an added dose of uniqueness that sets them apart from the pack.

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News: Disney Closes LucasArts

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Disney has officially announce that it is closing down LucasArts as a developer, and is instead reassigning the company as a “licensing model”.

The company has stated: “After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games. As a result of this change, we’ve had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles.”

It has also been confirmed that Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault have been cancelled as part of this transition.

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The Audible Protagonist Episode 10 - Do You Think Frank Gibeau Literally Eats Shit?

In the wake of Steven’s tragic death (kayfabe), The Audible Protagonist gang must continue against the tides of the videogame industry as a trio.

This week we’re talking BioShock Infinite, L.A. Noire, Slender: The Arrival, Square Enix’s failures, and multiplayer vs single player.

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