Gaming
Steve O'Rourke
Reinventing the wheel is no easy task, yet EA, the powerhouse publisher behind the multi-decade long FIFA series, manages to pull the digital rabbit from the hat year after year. The majority of the on-pitch action hasn’t changed in iterations, and nor does it really need to; it’s a slick, great-looking and responsive playing experience. But if you plan to get casual gaming football fans to part with the best part of 50 quid every year, you need to do more than offer updated team-sheets and kit selection. We’re very much in the world of refinement, not revolution. We gain little touches Read more ...
Alfred Quantrill
Design/Play/Disrupt at the V&A covers a wide variety of games that are spearheading the gaming world at the moment. It takes a closer look at eight of the most innovative and different games that have changed the world of gaming in the last five years. Concept sketches and art show the games developing as they gradually take their final form. The exhibition also looks at how videogames could be more life-like and give a new perspective on the world.Some of the games cover topics never really seen before in games. Mafia 3 is set in 1968 USA, and addresses racism as an integral part of the Read more ...
Steve O'Rourke
Spider-Man is among the most popular videogame characters in the history of gaming. His swing and climb ability, plus a bit of meaty hand-to-hand combat, some nifty web shooter gadgetry, a slick repertoire of one liners and a cracking all-in-one body stocking encouraged publishers to serve up more Spider-Man games than pretty much any other character, bar the Bat bloke with the cool car. Dozens of Spidey iterations have graced the shelves over the years: some good, some terrible. The last one, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, released back in 2014, demonstrated just how diluted the licence had Read more ...
Steve O'Rourke
Technical innovators, industry role models and champions of inclusivity make up the shortlist of nominees in the games category for this year’s h 100 awards, an event that recognises the 100 most influential and innovative people across the breadth of the UK’s creative industries.One nominee that could easily adopt all three roles is Dr Mick Donegan, founder of SpecialEffect a charity dedicated to helping people with physical disabilities play videogames. By using technology ranging from modified joypads to eye-control, Dr Donegan’s team have successfully found ways for thousands of people to Read more ...
Steve O'Rourke
This strategic simulation game is an interesting take on the classic dinosaur franchise. Coinciding with the latest big screen release, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the title puts you behind the virtual desk of theme park manager in a clever management sim that combines playing god with dinosaurs and playing host to the demands of an army of theme park visitors. Occasionally the two meet – and it never ends well. You’re responsible for everything. From fossil excavation through to hatching new breeds and making sure there’s enough entertainment for your guests; via managing park Read more ...
theartsdesk
Are you a young blogger, vlogger or writer in the field of the arts, books and culture? If so, we've a competition for you to enter.The Hospital Club’s annual h Club100 awards celebrate the most influential and innovative people working in the UK’s creative industries, with nominations from the worlds of film and fashion, art, advertising, theatre, music, television and more. For the second year running they are teaming up with theartsdesk – the home of online arts journalism in the UK – to launch a hunt for young talent.This year the Special Award is for theartsdesk / h Club Young Influencer Read more ...
Steve O'Rourke
Interactive stories are a tricky proposition. Make the on-screen action too passive and your audience feels like they’re watching a succession of cut-scenes. Tip the balance the other way and it’s just a game with pretensions of cinematic story telling. The idea that every decision you make in-game, whether it’s a dialogue choice or an action, will ultimately affect the outcome of the story is a bold ambition.How can you really tell if your choices actually make a difference to the narrative, apart from replaying the scene continuously? In the past, with two notable previous interactive Read more ...
theartsdesk
Brighton Festival is the UK’s leading annual celebration of the arts, with events taking place in venues both familiar and unusual across Brighton & Hove for three weeks every May. This year, the Festival boasts an eclectic line-up spanning music, theatre, dance, visual art, film, comedy, debate and spoken word, with visual artist David Shrigley as Guest Director.Enter this competition by entering your details here for a chance to win a fantastic break for two over the closing weekend of Brighton Festival (Fri 25 – Sun 27 May).The prize package includes:A two-night stay at Sooty’s Read more ...
Steve O'Rourke
The God of War games are legendary action adventure titles that specialise in the slaying of giant mythical beasts via intuitive brutal combat. The hugely popular series was developed by US studios in response to the overwhelming success of Japanese-based publishers releasing titles like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. The GoW games dialled down the combat complexity and made the story more coherent, resulting in more plaudits and awards than you could throw an enchanted axe at.The star of the show, Kratos, is a unlikeable sort - more anti-hero than leading man, a character of few words, and Read more ...
Steve O'Rourke
Civilisation is under threat from a bunch of religious rednecks, and it’s your job as the new Deputy Sheriff of fictional Hope County to right the wrongs of a year-long silent coup initiated by Eden’s Gate, a fanatical doomsday cult, intent on purging sinners and imposing their law on the land. There's a Brexit gag in there somewhere.Set in America, a first for the franchise, Far Cry 5 serves up more of the same freedom to explore a massive open world. It’s a beautifully detailed environment filled with pine forests, mountain ranges, shimmering lakes, rickety old towns and winding roads. A Read more ...
Steve O'Rourke
Survival is hard work. If you’re not desperately trying to hunt and forage food you’re dying of thirst or trying to scavenge materials to make the most basic weapons and tools. Who needs Netflix and Deliveroo when you can roast a gerbil and wash it down with a rusty bucket of dirty water?Then there’s a base that needs building, people to take care of, stuff to repair and missions to undertake. It’s a long day. Chuck in a plague of zombie-like Wanderers and you’ve got Metal Gear Survive – a bit like Bear Grylls meets The Walking Dead. It’s a slog of spectacle but at least you don’t have to Read more ...
Steve O'Rourke
Cage fighting summons up images of the most brutal hand-to-hand combat. Two fighters, an octagon cage, punches, kicks, submission holds, and the trademark "ground and pound" when an opponent drops to the floor and his rival goes in to finish him off. Not very tasteful, is it?But the blood-on-the-canvas world of Ultimate Fighting Championship is a sporting dichotomy straddling savage barbarity and unrivalled skill. The action is undeniably brutal but the athleticism and precise technique on display places the protagonists at the top tier of the sporting elite.It’s a violently compelling Read more ...