Latest Gaming News Update : 13 Best PC Gaming Headsets 2016

Updated: We've added a triple whammy of gaming headsets! Check out the Sennheiser PC373D in at #2, Turtle Beach 350 Stealth VR in at #4 and Sennheiser GSP 350 in at #8. If you're looking for a more affordable surround sound option, Logitech's G430, in at number #14, might be just what you're looking for.

No PC gamer worth their kill/death ratio would skimp on a decent headset. Arguably more important than a mechanical gaming keyboard or mouse, a worthy pair of cans make the difference between guessing where enemies are and hunting them down like a sonically-enhanced ninja.

Pick the right pair and you'll hear the sound of bullets envelop your ears while explosions rock your eardrums, and dialogue in games takes on a new level of clarity.

Whether you need a USB or 3.5mm headset, a surround sound or stereo pair, or simply one to communicate with friends online, we've picked out the very best PC gaming headsets for your needs.

Sometimes you're prepared to pay a premium for a PC gaming accessory that does the lot, and in the headset category that's the Siberia 840. Following on from the already impressive Siberia 800 (and the H Wireless before that from 2014), the upgraded Sibera 840 now works with Bluetooth and is lag-free within games. It also supports SteelSeries Engine 3 - a gorgeous and user-friendly app that lets you manage and tweak every element of the Siberia 840 - from profiles to equalizer settings and what to show on the OLED display on the side of the accompanying base unit.

All of that is, of course, secondary to the Siberia 840's sound qualities which are nothing less than sublime. Activating Dolby 7.1 surround sound is like dropping you into the game. Enemies' footsteps can be picked out across a room including behind you, leading to some heart-in-mouth moments in shooters like DOOM.

Expectations around any Sennheiser gaming headset are already high considering the brand's expertise in audio equipment. The company's flagship PC 373D doesn't disappoint thanks to its high-end Dolby 7.1 Surround sound that lets you pick out enemies from afar. We went for hours with minimal discomfort wearing the headset, which keeps your head cool using breathable plush velvet ear pads that offer surprisingly decent sound isolation. Our in-game team-mates had no trouble hearing us speak thanks to the noise cancelling microphone, which is decked in a red material that matches the inside of the ear-cup. The PC 373D's design is refreshingly demure, decked in matte black material and free of the ostentatious "gamer" features often found on other headsets. While it may not feature wireless connectivity, a combination of supreme comfort, flawless sound quality and a stellar retractable microphone add up to make one of the best premium gaming headsets on the market.

If you're more interested in the sounds coming out of your gaming headset, rather than glowing LEDs, macro keys and other nonessential extras, then the V-MODA Crossfade Wireless is the headset for you. These stylish cans are a treat for the ears, emitting booming sound that's bass-heavy with fantastically crisp treble at the other end. Whether you're being rocked by explosions in Battlefield or can hear the roar of the crowd in Fifa, they bring games to life and are equally suited to listening to music; You'll be able to pick out parts of your favorite tracks that you never previously thought existed.

 

Stepping out of the soundscape for a moment, the V-MODA Crossfade Wireless feature comfortable memory foam ear cups that don't irritate the ears even after hours of use, and you'll get around 12 hours out of its battery life when connected via Bluetooth. This headset's rugged build quality, funky travel case and optional USB connectivity add up to make it one of the best headsets on the market.

 

With VR headsets like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift making their way into PC gamers' rooms, specially-designed audio headsets for virtual reality were bound to follow. The Turtle Beach 350 Stealth VR is one of the most flexible out there, featuring a generous amount of adjustability thanks to its sturdy headband which can fit over the top of VR headsets worn on even the biggest heads. Sure enough, the 350 Stealth is designed for practicality rather than sharp looks. Its black-and-white color scheme isn't the most exciting design out there, but an abundance of features makes up for that. There's mic monitoring, which allows you to hear your own voice inside the headset, bass boost for booming lows, a detachable noise-cancelling headphone mic, and a groove in the ear cups that lets you tuck the audio cable out of the way. While it's perfectly suitable for owners of PC-based VR headsets, it's quite literally a great fit for PSVR gamers too.

 

Unlike some of its competitors, SteelSeries stresses subtlety in its headset designs. The Arctis continues this trend by flaunting sound quality and comfort over gaudy appearances. 

When you pop an Arctis on your head, the goal is for your audience to see a professional environment rather than, say, a Dorito stain on your chair. The customizable lighting, however, gives you plenty of wiggle room, though, if the monochrome look isn't your thing.

The SteelSeries Arctis comes in three distinct flavors: Arctis 3, Arctis 5 and Arctis 7, each one more expensive than the last. The Arctis 3 is pretty analog protocol while the 5 ships with an external digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and the Arctis 7 is wireless with 2.4GHz connectivity. Each model comes with digital audio control built-in, with an app available for those looking to take this one step further.

The only drawback, then, is a less-than-attractive suspension headband.

 

Quick and easy to setup using an inconspicuous wireless USB receiver that stores inside the headset for transportation, the Razer ManO'War is a user-friendly unit that's primed for surround-sound gaming. Sure, it's a little chunkier than most other headsets, but two soft leatherette ear cups make it comfortable to wear for extended periods. They're easy on the eye too thanks to customizable Chroma RGB backlighting configured through Razer's Synapse software.

Though delivered through software, the ManO'War's 7.1 channel virtual surround sound does a fine job of ramping up immersion in-game. Doom's Imps are no longer somewhere around you – they're breathing down your neck. The ManO'War's range can reach up to 14 meters using the supplied USB extender, and its battery life is capable of stretching to just as many hours.

Arguably one of the most affordable gaming headsets available today, the HyperX Cloud Stinger is designed to give players eSports quality audio at a bargain. While there isn't much to write home about with the red on black plastic design of the headset, the stereo sound is superb. It also feels comfortable to wear for extended play sessions thanks to a set of memory foam earcups. Although this isn't the ultimate gaming headset, it's a great starting point if you're trying to game on a budget.

 

More affordable than Sennheiser's flagship PC 373D while still packing an audible punch, the GSP 350 carries over that headset's stellar 7.1 Dolby Surround Sound and closed ear-cup design. It's equally a suitable for marathon  gaming sessions thanks to its huge comfortable ear cups, with the right cup once again featuring a volume dial. The headset uses a closed-back design with an adjustable split headband, rather than the PC 373D's more solid and thicker continuous band. The GSP 350's noise-cancelling microphone is equally as good and once again mutes when lifted up while blocking out breathing sounds, much to the relief of your in-game team-mates. If you like the look of Sennheiser's flagship gaming headset but can't quite stomach its price tag, this one is a little lighter and slightly less solid, but still superior to many of its rivals.

 

Logitech's flagship gaming headset packs in plenty of bells and whistles, the most useful being its cup-mounted G-keys that provide handy shortcuts to performing actions in-game. In terms of design, The G933 is certainly one of the snazziest headsets around and oozes gamer appeal, and if you're fed up of round ear-cups on headsets then you'll appreciate its large and comfortable ear-shaped ones. Logitech has ran a multi-colored lighting strip all the way down the cup, rather than placing a flashing logo on the side, which in our eyes is more appealing than the small glowing areas on Corsair's and Razer's flagship headsets. On the negative side, this cuts down battery life to around 10 hours. Turning off the flashing goodness will help you eke out a few more,

 

If you're looking for a pair of 7.1 surround sound cans with RGB lighting that won't break the bank, Corsair's latest entry should be high up your list. Its excellent 40-meter wireless range means you can go for a wander without your team-mates' chatter cutting off, and the Void is capable of emitting fist-pumping bass that's powerful without muddying the mix. You can configure its lighting colors using Corsair's intuitive software and even make it dance in tandem with the company's K65 or K70 mechanical keyboards. Unfortunately, there isn't any way for adjusting the fold-down mic so its clarity often suffers, but it doesn't put us off what is a solid and affordable option for surround sound gaming.

 

Here we have a no-frills headset that offers build quality that comes close to pairs that cost almost twice the price. You may have already come across Kingston's HyperX Cloud Revolver headset. Used by a number of eSports teams, its large interchangeable over-the-ear memory foam cups help block out unwanted noise, and the retractable mic allows clear and distortion-free communication with team-mates.

Despite its affordable nature, the Cloud Revolver is ready to rock. Its 53mm drivers have been tweaked to blast out punchy mid-range tones and pounding bass that's best described as in-your-face. Subtle they ain't. There's no surround sound support or RGB lighting to be found here, and you'll have to reach for the Cloud Revolver's braided cable to get to its in-line volume and mic controls. If those factors don't bother you then this value-focused headset comes highly recommended.

 

Looking like something straight out of Quake 2, Asus' Strix 7.1 wireless gaming headset immediately caught our eye thanks to its large black-and-orange ear cups that are decked in a circular pattern resembling an owl's eye. Those oversized ear cups makes them comfortable to wear for extended periods but there's no RGB lighting on them, which on the plus side provides up to 10 hours of continuous gameplay using 2.4GHz wireless to connect.

Asus claims that it provides lower latency than Bluetooth, and while it's difficult to verify that, bullets whizzing past our head in-game synched up pretty well thanks to virtual 7.1 surround sound being blasted into our ears from all directions. Asus' Sonic Studio software provides an easy method of tweaking sound settings, and we found cranking up the (already sufficient) bass in the app's equalizer particularly satisfying for both gaming and listening to music.

 

Aimed at PC and console gamers, using Turtle Beach's Elite Pro feels like sitting down at a command station and gearing up for war. This headset oozes gaming appeal, right down to the subtle orange ruler-type markings on the headset's automatically adjusting headband. It's a funky piece of kit that's reassuringly chunky while remaining supremely comfortable at all times thanks to its gel-infused Aerofit ear cushions. Most importantly, they sound great in the heat of battle. That's down to Turtle Beach's 50mm NanoClear drivers, which do an especially great job of bringing you into the heart of the action in shooters.

If you're particularly hardcore, you might want to shell out for the Tactical Audio Controller. At $199 (around £149) it's not cheap, but it grants an intuitive and fun of adjusting settings such as the game/chat mix, your own microphone level, in-game sounds, and there's also a mute button to cut game sound out completely. It also lets you chop and change between four surround modes (Game, Music, Movie and off), which is a lot easier than fiddling around with controls on the headset itself.

Featuring an eye-catching black-and-blue color scheme, Logitech's G430 is one of the more affordable surround-sound headsets out there. Featuring both Dolby 7.1 and FTS HeadphoneX surround sound, they allow you to detect enemies before they clock you.

They can be worn for hours thanks to their sports-like cloth on the ear cups, which pivot and rotate flat to a 90-degree angle for easier transportation. There's also a noise-cancelling mic that helps to cut out background noise, and you can easily mute yourself using audio controls located on the 2.3-meter cable.

Posted by Unknown Monday, November 21, 2016

News Game Tech Review : Rise Of The Tomb Raider

When we last saw Lara Croft, she was growing out of being a victim. A victim of fate, of other people’s aggression, of her own uninspired previous playable incarnations. She’s still growing, but she’s different now.

For most of Rise of the Tomb Raider, the second installment of a rebooted Tomb Raider series, Lara Croft doesn’t go around being scared. She still faces down overwhelming odds, grapples with doubt, and absorbs a ton of trauma. The newest iteration of the iconic video game heroine displays less fumbly panic than she did in 2013’s Tomb Raider. There are more moments of steely determination and fewer moments where she pauses to psych herself up. She knows what she’s capable of—she hasn’t forgotten that one time she wiped out a supernatural army, climbed a mountain, and took down a sun god. It feels like she’s grown.

That feeling of growth is a key factor in this sequel. For Rise of the Tomb Raider to succeed, it needs to convince players that Lara has matured, but that she still has more growing to do. Yet the changes in a new installment can’t be too radical, lest this Lara become unrecognizable to old and new fans.

Rise of the Tomb Raider tells the story of young Lara Croft, alone in a dangerous place, exploring ruins, solving puzzles, and shooting lots of guys with flaming arrows. It combines hunter/gatherer elements—where you need to scavenge for the stuff you need to survive or make weapons—with a mix of melee and ranged combat with pickaxes, guns or a bow and arrow.

Rise opens yet again with Lara searching for proof of a time-lost civilization. This time, however, her motivations come from a deeply personal place. Before he died, Lara’s father was on a quest to find the Divine Source—an artifact said to grant eternal life—and the apocryphal Prophet who performed miracles with its power. Lara’s continuation of his work is directly linked to her desire to restore respectability to the Croft name—her father’s name. Her travels take her to a snow-swept mountain range in Siberia where she comes into conflict with a mysterious organization named Trinity, whose paramilitary goons are also looking for the Divine Source. Hello, cannon fodder.

Crystal Dynamics’ latest effort at a Tomb Raider game benefits from smartly imagining the psychological underpinnings of both its heroes and villains. Just as Lara is trying to contend with her father’s legacy, the main bad guy’s thirst for power is likewise driven by very personal reasons. There are moments that you feel like you’re fighting against a screwed-up worldview and not just a bunch of artificially-intelligent mannequins.

Rise of the Tomb Raider tweaks the gameplay formula established in its 2013 predecessor. There’s a new crafting system that has Lara constantly foraging for resources that she can use to make ammo, equipment or bandages. Once she has enough resources, she can craft what she needs on the go. The player holds down the left bumper and can craft, mid-action. So, collecting deathcap mushrooms lets her make poison arrows that release a fatal gas. Similarly, other new craftable items increase the ability to silently skulk through encounters if you want. If loud, messy combat engagement is your thing, then you can quickly turn bottles and cans into molotovs and hand grenades.

Lara’s newly improved abilities are a direct reflection of how much effort you put into exploring the gameworld. As her skills increase, her ability to spot resources and read the world gets more powerful. Lara buffs her mastery of ancient languages by finding murals and improves her arsenal and equipment by amassing exotic animal hides. Other combat upgrades let you pull off feats like multiple headshots at once with the bow. The way that ROTTR’s mechanics are structured feeds into the overall sense of growing or maturing.

Aside from its opening chapters, Rise of the Tomb Raider is set around the geothermal valley in Siberia where Lara and Trinity have tracked the Divine Source. It’s a gorgeously layered landscape that feels more like an open world than the terrain of the 2013 game. Whether snowy or lushly green, the terrain feels alive, teeming with plant-based resources or animals to stalk (or flee). Aside from scads of posthumous testimonials about the history of its events and fiction, the game also teases players with optional tombs. The entrances to these tombs are secreted away and you’ll need to apply some extra effort to even find them. Once you find these tombs, you’ll be faced with a single physics-based environmental puzzle—familiar to longtime Tomb Raider fans. But you’ll need to navigate through various section of the tombs to trigger various elements necessary to their solution. As a result, they wind up feeling bigger and more significant.

The game’s also got side missions—given to you by actual in-world quest-givers—that grant you new tools/weapons, like a lock pick and crafting tool. You can also use in-game currency to obtain some of these weapons and equipment from the supply shack that opens up in the first third of the game.

This is an enjoyable sequel and the reason it’s very fun is because it feels upgraded in nearly every way. When I tried for stealthier approaches in the 2013 Tomb Raider, the results felt haphazard. In this game, I was able to plan and execute better, thanks to a plethora of options that let you blind or poison enemies from afar. The feeling of being a cunning predator was a welcome change for me, especially after enduring the emotional rawness of the last Tomb Raider. Another thing I liked about Rise of the Tomb Raider is how it constantly rewards your curiosity. If you head to a seemingly innocuous cliff or stop and take in your surroundings with Lara’s survival instinct, you’ll almost always find a resource or collectible waiting for you. I leaned hard on Lara’s survival instinct because Rise of the Tomb Raider is the kind of game where I didn’t want to miss a thing.

I played Rise of the Tomb Raider much like I did its predecessor: almost exclusively with the bow and arrow and as stealthily as my patience would allow. This time around, however, I didn’t feel like a trembly twentysomething, scared of every shadow. I felt more like a hunter and explorer, systematically taking down enemies and challenges. That said, I didn’t like having to unlock the same suite of weapons as in the last game. Lara knew how to counter enemies and perform quick stealth kills in the last game—why should she have to re-learn it now?

Unlike the Tomb Raider game from two years ago, Rise doesn’t have any competitive multiplayer. Instead, it offers another gambit geared to entice players to keep returning to the game. The Expeditions feature lets you play remixed chunks of the story campaign in one of four modes—Chapter Replay, Chapter Replay Elite, Score Attack or Remnant Resistance.

In Remnant Resistance, you can create custom five-part missions by picking specific objectives, loadouts and time of day. Once you finish one of these missions, your friends will be challenged to do the same.

Completing Expeditions missions earns credits and winnings can be increased by using collectible cards as modifiers to increase difficulty, grant buffs and add challenge objectives.

So, a Lobotomy challenge tasks players to notch five headshots with the bow and arrow and using a Big Head card on enemies swells their craniums makes their torsos and limbs more resistant to damage. The credits you earn in Expeditions can be used to buy more card packs for increased variability in the missions you create. I enjoyed the handful of Expeditions missions I took on and the feature feels like a clever way of re-jiggering the work that’s already in the game.

Rise of the Tomb Raider’s greatest success is in how it encourages exploration, which in turn makes you feel more connected to its fictional world. Every hapless corpse in the frozen Russian wastes is a reminder that Lara’s moving through a place that’s killed many others. As I played, she came across as increasingly gifted, with enough spirit and ingenuity to find ways to see herself through to the other side. This Lara isn’t a wide-eyed newcomer, nor is she a flinty veteran. She’s somewhere in between. Rise of the Tomb Raider makes me want to follow her where she goes next.

Additional Thoughts on PC Version :

Sometimes you just want to play a really pretty PC game, and in walks the PC port of Rise of the Tomb Raider. I already played through the enjoyably acronymed “ROTTR” on Xbox One last fall, and at the time was struck by how gorgeous the game could be.

It stands to reason that it’d look even better at a higher resolution and frame-rate, with some extra PC bells and whistles dropped in. Then again, a few messy recent PC ports have demonstrated some of the many ways PC versions can go awry. How does Rise of the Tomb Raider’s stack up?

I’ve played five or six hours, and my verdict: solid port. The porting job was handled by the Dutch studio Nixxes, who usually handle PC porting for most Square Enix-published games (2013’s Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Sleeping Dogs all come to mind). They do fine work, and from what I’ve played ROTTR is no exception.

I recently upgraded my PC, which is worth keeping in mind as I recount my experience: I’m running an i7-4770k with an overclocked 6GB GTX 980Ti, along with that 144Hz G-Sync monitor that I love so much. With that setup, I’m able to run the game at 2560x1440 (1440p) resolution at high or very high settings and, for the most part, it stays north of 60fps, occasionally dipping down to the still-playable mid-40s or 50s. I haven’t had much time with the new optimized Nvidia driver that hit today, but I haven’t seen a big difference between the game before and after I installed the driver.

ROTTR pushes my PC, but I’m actually happy to have a game that pushes my system for the right reasons. Unlike the frustrating PC ports of Just Cause 3, Fallout 4 and Batman: Arkham Knight, I have a good sense of the tradeoffs I’m making and so far haven’t felt like the game is running poorly for no discernible reason.

And it really is incredible looking, particularly in 1440p. Look at this screenshot:

Enhance:

Enhance:

In-engine cutscenes are gorgeous, and I’m regularly impressed by how much this latest version of Lara Croft looks like an actual human being.

I mean, like... enhance:

Jeez.

ROTTR’s PC version offers a variety of graphics settings; you can see mine here:

 

I’ve dropped the Level of Detail setting down from Very High to High and dropped Shadows to Medium, which keeps the game running well aside from some frame-rate drops as I enter some of the bigger open areas and some hitches in the midst of transition animations from one area to another.

Then there’s the hair. Rise of the Tomb Raider is actually the first PC game in which I’ve left the hair tech—called “PureHair” this time around—turned on, rather than turning it off to improve my frame-rate. PureHair does impact performance somewhat, but Lara’s hair looks good enough that I’m fine taking the hit.

Aside from its graphics, Rise of the Tomb Raider is another third-person action/adventure game that plays better with a controller than with a mouse and keyboard. Running, sneaking and shooting all work fine with a mouse and keyboard, and as usual I’m much more accurate when using a mouse. But platforming and puzzle-solving feel odd with a keyboard input. The game has some mechanical interactions—winding winches and breaking down brick walls, etc.—and they feel much more natural on a controller. Similarly, jumping puzzles feel awkward when navigated with a keyboard. Some of that is due to my own comfort level playing this type of game on consoles, so your mileage may vary.

Posted by Unknown Monday, February 01, 2016

News Gaming Laptop Update : Lenovo Announces 17.3-Inch Y700 Gaming Laptop For Rs 1,25,000 ($1888)

Lenovo has announced the IdeaPad Y700-17ISK, its 17-inch full HD display sporting gaming laptop, at the Lenovo India Gaming Week in Mumbai. The laptop will be priced at Rs 1,25,000 and the pre-orders for the same will start from 1 October.

Lenovo says it will offer free accessories such as a gaming surround sound headset, gaming precision mouse and a gaming mouse all totalling worth Rs 9,555 free for the first 30 pre-orders.

The Lenovo Y700 laptop comes with a 17.3-inch full HD IPS panel display. It houses the 6th generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor paired with 16GB DDR4 RAM. On the storage front, you get a 1TB hard drive along with a 128GB SSD for faster booting and application loading times.

Since it is a gaming laptop, it will house the NVIDIA GTX 960M discrete graphics solution. Sadly, Lenovo will not be bundling any games with the laptop at the moment. The Y700 has a black and red coloured design elements and houses a JBL speaker set.

The IdeaPad Y700 will not be the most portable laptops around with it weighing 3.5 kg. The laptop promises a 4-hour battery life.

Speaking at the launch, Shailendra Katyal, director e-commerce, strategy and analytics said, “The Indian gaming industry is growing exponentially and there is an immense opportunity to cater to the discerning modern gamer who requires a premium PC to play out of the box. Created from ground up to serve this segment, the Y700 offers futuristic design, premium build quality and powerful hardware.”

Posted by Unknown Thursday, September 17, 2015

News Update On PC Gaming : Call of Duty: Black Ops III Beta Now Open To All On Xbox One And PC

The multiplayer beta test for the next entry to the Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops III is now open to everyone on Xbox One and PC, following an update last night. Previously, the beta has been exclusively accessible via a code, with a majority being handed out alongside pre-orders. Playstation 4 owners were given a week's early access, on August 19, however after three days, the beta was opened to all using the console. The beta release on Xbox One and PC soon followed, and as of today, a code is no longer required to play.

From the onset, the beta offered three maps, hosting seven gamemodes, all within the multiplayer sandbox. Since its initial release, further content has been implemented, including new Specialists and maps. Last night’s update included a new map, Stronghold, alongside the new Reaper Specialist Class, which allows you to play as an experimental war robot, created in a now-abandoned military project. The level cap has also been raised to Level 34.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta can be accessed on Xbox One here, and on PC via Steam, here.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III will release November 6, 2015 on Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 4, Playstation 3 and PC.

Posted by Unknown Sunday, August 30, 2015

News Gaming Review Update : Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare Review – 6 Reasons It’s Awesome (And 4 Reasons It’s Not)

The day is finally here: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is officially now out in the wild, though if you remembered to pre-order the Day Zero edition, you’ve probably been playing for the better part of a day already.

The latest entry into the CoD franchise comes hot on the heels of what’s popularly regarded as the worst entry in the core series, Ghosts, which was pretty much just an uninspired Greatest Hits of the franchise without any invention of its own, and boy, it really, really didn’t feel next-gen at all, did it? 

It’s a pleasure to report, then, that Advanced Warfare is a significant improvement over its competent yet unoriginal predecessor, introducing a number of new elements to breathe fresh life into the franchise, all while course-correcting a number of the complaints people have with the series.

Sure, it’s still at its core the same CoD that sells tens of millions of copies per year, and some will inevitably have their gripes with that, but this latest entry throws down the gauntlet for Treyarch, who will presumably be developing next year’s edition.

It’s a surprisingly great game but far from perfect, so here are 6 reasons why CoD: Advanced Warfare is awesome, and 4 reasons why it’s not.

6 Reasons It’s Awesome…

 

1. Kevin Spacey :
And of course, who can forget the inclusion of one of Hollywood’s greats, Kevin Spacey, as the villainous President of Atlas, Jonathan Irons? Though the CoD series is no stranger to Holllywood talent (Gary Oldman, Kiefer Sutherland and Sam Worthington have all had significant parts in previous games), this is the first game to really harness an actor’s star power and make the most of it.

The photo-realistic visuals are a major plus for Spacey’s appearance, impressively recreating the actor’s facial expressions and, with a spirited vocal performance from the actor himself, help create a thoroughly believable villain. Though Spacey does have the odd ropey line of dialogue to chew through, he does so with admirable enthusiasm, and unlike so many celebrity voice actors in video games, clearly isn’t just phoning it in to pay off a yacht.

Plus, for anyone who watches House of Cards, seeing the video game-addicted Frank Underwood in a game (considering that he and Irons are rather alike) is just too deliciously fun to pass up.

So, that’s why you absolutely should be picking up Advanced Warfare this weekend, but what about the areas where it doesn’t quite measure up? Here are 4 reasons why AW isn’t quite so awesome all the time…

2. Firing Range :

A small but hugely welcome addition to the CoD series comes in the form of the firing range. Say you’re in the lobby waiting for the next match to start and want to try out a new weapon? Just select it, then hit the firing range button, and you’ll be quickly transported (without a single loading screen, impressively) to said range, where you can shoot the weapon to your heart’s content.

This is a huge improvement over having to simply pick a weapon and hope for the best, having to wait to try it out on the battlefield, which can be frustrating if it turns out to be a dud and you’ve made no other custom classes. It may seem like a tiny little fix, yet it says to gamers that Sledgehammer aren’t just interested in the big picture, but also the small things which, when added up, can be either supremely detrimental or complimentary to a game depending on their inclusion or exclusion.

3. Insane Customisation :

Customisation has always been a huge part of the Call of Duty franchise, with Infinity Ward and Treyarch trying to give players as much choice as possible about their load-out and how they head into combat. Sledgehammer have followed ably in their shoes, then, giving players more freedom of choice than the series has ever seen.

It’s fair to say that the game seems inherently more “open” because of the Exosuit and the numerous upgrades (invisibility, health augmentations and so on) that this invites, but even so, the developer has improved upon numerous aspects introduced in earlier games. The Pick 10 system introduced in Black Ops 2, for instance, has now been expanded to Pick 13, ensuring players don’t get frustrated with arbitrary restrictions and can build the set-up they desire.

Though the load-out screen might seem dizzyingly complex to a newcomer (and even for veterans, changing your load-out in between matches requires fast reflexes and a little good luck), it is, like the Exosuit, something you’ll likely adjust to after dealing with it a few times.

4. Vastly Improved Single Player :

Ghosts received a lot of flak for its, to be polite, unoriginal single-player offering. It was nothing more than a collection of the coolest set-pieces from the series re-skinned with a slightly different plot (albeit one you probably won’t remember). Advanced Warfare’s single-player, though still subject to many of the flaws that affect every game in the series, is a significant improvement, and absolutely worth playing through, even if you tend to skip this portion of the game.

For starters, the game is a massive step-up from Ghosts visually (though sadly this doesn’t carry over to the multiplayer), with a great deal of attention paid to particle and lighting details, while facial expressions (particularly Kevin Spacey’s) look more realistic and believable than ever. After so many people complained that Ghosts just didn’t look next-gen, at least the single-player portion of this game measures up to the standard set by last year’s similarly futuristic Killzone: Shadow Fall.

Another frequent issue with the campaign modes in this series is that they’re all woefully short. AW doesn’t break the mold hugely in this area, but it’s nowhere near the embarrassingly short 4-hour blast-a-thon that was Ghosts’ campaign. AW’s story mode will take most players 6-ish hours on regular difficulty, while on harder modes, it can easily take up to 7-8 hours.

Though the plot is still politically immature, there’s plenty of creaky dialogue and a number of familiar missions, it’s nevertheless a massive improvement over Ghosts’ rather pathetic attempt at a campaign.

5. Excellent Multiplayer Maps :

If Ghosts featured a relatively disappointing and forgettable array of maps, this year’s selection more than makes up for it. Sledgehammer have given us some ludicrously entertaining maps that are impeccably well-designed to fit the free-wheeling gameplay style that the Exosuit promotes. Terrace, a night-time, neon-lit hotel, is an instant classic, as is Greenband, a hedge maze-type map that will have you accidentally falling to your death numerous times if you’re not careful about where you boost to.

In fact, it’s hard to pick a bad one out from the bunch: Riot is an intense prison scenario, and Detroit is, well, Detroit (except even more of a mess). Though some are less memorable than others (Ascend, set in an airport, is totally forgettable no matter how many times you play it), but none of the current map selection elicit groans or sneaky lobby exits when they come into rotation.

Though the Exosuit itself inevitably takes a lot of the credit for making these maps work so well, that Sledgehammer had the ingenuity to design them so studiously in the first place shouldn’t be ignored.

6. The Exosuit :

Easily the biggest shake-up this year is the introduction of the Exosuit, a special mechanical exoskeleton which allows players to jump, boost and dodge during combat, adding an entirely new level of verticality and intensity to the typical CoD shooting mechanics. Yes, it’s clearly ripping off Titanfall’s much-praised gameplay (minus the wall-running), but you know what? It’s great.

The exosuit isn’t just a nifty new way to navigate the maps: it completely changes the way you play the game. Playing Kill Confirmed is now more treacherous than ever, because dog tags can be floating around 20 or 30 feet in the air, and Domination can see enemies flying at you from a dozen different directions, all desperate to capture your base.

The increased movement speed that the suit allows makes the already-frantic pace even more breathless, yet it somehow never becomes too overwhelming, and after a few games, most players should have adjusted to this insane new mechanic. Also, though it is only used intermittently throughout the single-player campaign, it certainly helps reinvigorate gunning down hundreds of nameless foes from time to time.

Needless to say, if next year’s game doesn’t feature the Exosuit, it will need to come up with something mightily interesting and innovative to fill the void, because after just a day of play, this feels like something that should remain a vital mainstay of the series from now on. It’s a genius addition by Sledgehammer.

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And 4 Reasons It’s Not

1. Technical & Design Issues :

As previously mentioned, from a technical perspective, the multiplayer aspect of AW just doesn’t seem particularly advanced from Ghosts. While the single-player is a fine-tuned operation and the Exosuit is brilliantly implemented, running smooth as silk, the multi-player still feels stuck in the past from a technical perspective.

On the San Francisco-set Defender map, there’s a huge body of water which will occasionally transform into a tidal wave and spill onto the land. This gives players a chance to get their feet wet in the water, but if you decide to go prone, the game will stutter between its above-water and below-water visuals, which for a brand new game running on the PS4 and Xbox One, is laughable.

From a design perspective, there’s also the frankly bizarre choice to have the names of players talking over comms appear in the middle of the screen in an obnoxiously large font. Who needs to know that kanyewest_fan412 is the guy playing loud, distorted music over his microphone? The idents should be kept to the bottom right-hand corner of the screen where they belong, in a much, much smaller font size.

Have you been playing Advanced Warfare? What do you think so far? Shout it out in the comments!

2. Lack Of Small, Gimmicky Maps :

Though the map selection is on the whole fantastic and the Exosuit doesn’t really invite restrictive maps, the series continues to lack a single tiny, arena-esque map like the classic Shipment (Modern Warfare) or Rust (Modern Warfare 2). These maps (Shipment especially) were so small that you couldn’t go two seconds without seeing an enemy, and though chaotic, were hugely popular with fans (probably because they’re an easy way to level up),

Sadly, recent games haven’t included any similar, gimmicky maps (perhaps because Activision don’t want players leveling too quickly), and though the selection for AW is itself pretty great, the inclusion of just one small, intense map (even if it were an HD remake of Shipment) would make the rotation even better.

This one’s unlikely to come to fruition, sadly, but if it came along in a map pack DLC, it might actually be one worth paying for…

3. “Out Of Bounds” :

One of the more disappointing if not unexpected aspects of the maps is that they’re still as restrictive as ever. This is particularly problematic given the freedom that the Exosuit purports to give players. You likely won’t go a single multiplayer game without seeing that annoying, orange “Out of Bounds” warning sign appear, indicating that you’re flying too high.

But given that the Exosuit mechanic promotes this type of play, doesn’t it seem like a contradiction in terms? Plus, if there’s room in the sky to boost around, why give players the warning in the first place? It should only be used for the edges of the map, which are so poorly disguised you’ll know exactly where they are anyway.

Hopefully Sledgehammer will realise the problematic nature of constantly pointing out the limitations of the maps, and understand that gamers don’t need their hands being held. Above all else, make maps that cater even better to the high-wire thrills of the Exosuit, or at the very least, only warn players that they’re going out of bounds when it really matters (which is basically never).

4. It Still Doesn’t Look Next-Gen :

Though the single-player campaign looks sleek, sexy and shiny, the same can’t really be said for the multiplayer offering, which doesn’t look much better than Ghosts, suffering from the same muddy textures, jagged geometry and glitchy visuals. Is the above image, of a cracked bus windshield taken by us on the map Riot, really acceptable in a 2014 video game?

The excuse that the graphics needed to be toned down for 18-player multiplayer mayhem just doesn’t really wash, because EA have managed two visually stunning Battlefield games with significantly more players than that on the same hardware, so what is it about the CoD games that makes them feel perpetually a few years behind graphically?

Does it ruin the experience? Absolutely not, but it’s a shame the beautifully-designed maps aren’t accompanied by prettier textures, and it does result in the occasional wince-inducing moment when you come up close to an object (anything with writing on it is particularly bad), at which point the illusion of immersion is irreparably broken.

Posted by Unknown Monday, August 10, 2015

News Gaming Update : 10 Things We've Learned About Fallout 4

Fallout 4 is gathering momentum, with just over three months to go until it emerges from the bunker like a drowsy, post-apocalyptic Godzilla.

Bethesda recently used Gamescom 2015 to give journalists a sneak preview of Lexington, one of the game's many desolate towns, in a video that was narrated by Fallout 4 game director Todd Howard. 

Overrun by hordes of raiders and other wastelanders, it demonstrated some of the game's mechanics while introducing new enemies and locations. 

Though tempting, we didn't just sit there gawping like a ghoul: click on to discover what we learned during the brief but action-packed preview.

The preview's opening sequence made a big deal about the role strength will play in Fallout 4. "Keep doing chin-ups and push-ups because there's more that strength can do for you," advised a voice with Fallout's familiar '50s American accent. "Swing for the fences like a pro, wear specialised protective gear and craft weapons to wield." 

We know that some pretty beefy vault suits lie in wait with gatling guns and other weapons attached, and on the basis of this hint, there might be a baseball bat for bashing things in the head too. 

Fallout 4 awards you with perks, skills and abilities as you progress through the game. They're chosen via a perk chart that's organised through seven S.P.E.C.I.A.L abilities: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck.

There are 70 base perks, each with multiple ranks that do new things, providing a total of 275 abilities to pick. According to Howard, it gives you "a ton of choices and many different ways to develop your character over the game". 

There was heavy reliance on V.A.T.S (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) in Fallout 3, which doesn't appear to be the case in its sequel. In the demo, Fallout's 4's protagonist dismembered feral ghouls by blasting off their kneecaps, Dead Space-style, after which they continued to crawl around.

You can still use V.A.T.S, but instead of making the came come to a dead stop it merely slows it down the action. This will invariable speed up the gameplay and force you to swiftly pick a limb for picking off and think on your toes more creatively.

Fallout 4's protagonist (the Sole Survivor) has a canine pal called Dogmeat. You're probably already aware of his canine companion, as a) he attracted more attention than anything else when the initial Fallout 4 trailer due to his slightly blocky appearance and b) Dogmeat has been a fixture of previous games in the series.

It turns out he's more than just a guide dog in Fallout 4 and can be commanded to explore rooms, attack enemies and even growl to alert you when they're nearby. Like Frodo's Sting, only furrier and less blue.

The demo gave a glimpse of the Fat Man in action. One of the most ridiculous(ly satisfying) shoulder-mounted rocket launchers ever. The chunky projectile flinger gets quite some distance on it too, as was demonstrated when our Sole Survivor used the nuke launcher to take out a troublesome enemy on a high up ledge.

Fat Man is a meaty weapon, no doubt about it, but it's not powerful enough to take out all of the game's bigger nasties in a single hit. In an encounter with a troll-like Behemoth, the Sole Survivor used V.AT.S to direct a swift Fat Boy rocket to its face, only for the beast to emerge enraged from the other side of a mini mushroom cloud. 

If you're low on firepower, some of Lexington's locations contain oil barrels that will explode when shot, providing another tactical avenue to take out some of Fallout 4's meaner enemies. 

If you don't the firepower to take out enemies yourself, it's possible to manipulate enemies or other NPCs to do your bidding. While explaining perks, Howard noted: "There's a perk for each special, and each rank of that special goes from one to ten. If you were to come out of the value with a 10 charisma, you can pick the intimidation perk that lets you manipulate and control other people." 

As in Fallout 3, enemies sometimes begin to fight each other if they come too into close contact, and throwing manipulation into the mix should let you start some interesting brawls. 

The vast array of weaponry on offer seemed to equip the Sole Survior with enough power to deal with all enemies on the ground in the video - except one.

Nestled high up in a mountain side, a turret was the only enemy that proved Fallout 4's protagonist real problems in Bethesda's preview video, raining down bullets in a hail of pain. The attack caused enough damage to make the injured Vault Boy icon appear in the top-right hand corner, which indicates that you've been injured. Mark these words: turrets are going to cause you pain. 

About halfway through the demo, we started to notice a running theme: Fallout 4's weapons - from the Fat Man to miniguns and flamethrowers - all sounded meaty and convincing while giving off some great-looking particle effects. A red energy gun called the Laser Musket was top of the pile, spitting out red laser beams that ripped through enemies and ricocheted off walls when indoors, lighting them up like a firecracker.

If it's half as fun to use as it looks, we'll be running around the wastelands doing our best X-Men Cyclops impression, which wouldn't be too difficult in that blue and yellow suit.

Bethesda recently tweeted that there'll be no level cap and you'll be able to keep playing the game once the main story is complete. If you're the kind of player that likes to carry on exploring the open world once you're done, you'll be able to continue growing your character's strengths to theoretically take on increasingly powerful enemies. Whether Bethesda will introduce new ones via DLC remains to be seen.

Posted by Unknown Sunday, August 09, 2015