Missed a big release? Don’t worry, I have you covered with the release roundup from the week – the big ones to the little ones!
So, this weeks biggest release is Murdered: Soul Suspect, a murder mystery with a twist, as you are solving your own murder. You play as Ronan O’Connor, a once criminal turned cop who is tracking a serial killer, the Bell killer. When he finally tracks the killer down, he ends up getting himself through out of a window and shot, the end. No, I kid, now you play as Ronan tracking down the murder and resolving your unfinished business from beyond the grave. The story is a very interesting take on a murder mystery, as the only other example I can think of is Ghost Trick. Sadly though where Ghost Trick has a lot of charm and great characters, this game just feels a little lifeless… geddit? Ronan isn’t exactly the most engaging protagonist out there, and in the opening sequence his entire back story is just thrown at you, with not an ounce of pacing. The gameplay.. well it’s not exactly complicated. You travel around different areas using your new found ghostly powers to solve murder scenes. These powers include the ability to walk through walls (only interior walls however, as all the buildings have been laced in holy water – I know it doesn’t make any sense) see into the past (no, literally) and even possess cats, which is always great. It’s not all fun and games however, as it’s not only you in the spirit world, as you must also avoid being consumed by demons (souls of ghosts who lingered too long.) You do this by basically just walking up behind them without them seeing you and pressing a button. It’s insanely easy and kinda takes away from the tension of the demons themselves, who definitely look terrifying, just don’t really put up much of a fight. So what you have here is an interesting take on the murder mystery genre with lackluster presentation, and really that’s the main problem I see with the game, it lacks polish. Character animations are awkward, voice acting is generic and don’t even get me started on the amount of invisible walls. From what I have played of Murdered: Soul Suspect, it’s a unique idea with a sloppy execution, and with all it’s impressive ideas, it ends up being a generally mediocre title. Expect my opinion in full soon.
The other big title of the week is Wildstar, Carbines incredibly hyped MMORPG. Made by a group of ex World of Warcraft developers, Wildstar blends a colorful art style, deeply strategic combat and a beautiful world all together to make the latest big MMO since Guild Wars 2. So the general opinion of everyone playing right now is that its great, and while I can’t speak for the finished title, I did play quite a bit of the Beta, and I loved every minute of it. The game has a sense of detail and charm that genuinely surprised me just how well it was pulled off, especially seeing as you have an entire world to fill. Everything from the character designs to the level up animations were perfectly done. The combat also works great; its a bit of a mix between WoW and GW2, as its the usual numbered attack patterns, but you will have to move around a lot, unless you want to die. There is a real sense of impact whenever you attack an enemy, which is key in any MMO. The story on the other hand isn’t exactly the most interesting aspect of the game, but then again it never is in an MMO. It does provide two different legions to join though, one being a rag tag group of fighters seeking freedom from the evil Legion, and the other being the evil Legion. Obviously me being the wonderful person I am, I went with the evil option, and damn its a lot more fun being evil. Believe me, it’s the better route. One interesting element of Wildstar is that of the path system. Carbine has realized that the MMO experience won’t get any better unless you design the game around different play styles, and that’s exactly what the path system provides. You can pick from 4 options, the explorer, the soldier, the settler and the scientist. These specific paths are based around the 4 different kinds of players, so say if you’re huge into lore then you pick the scientist and receive a more history and world rich experience. But if you are the exact opposite and just want to kill things then you play the soldier. These paths change your experience by giving you more levels and giving you extra quests depending on what path you picked. From what I played in the Beta, this system was actually really well implemented and never felt tack on. Overall my experience with Wildstar was a very positive one, and if you are looking forward for a new MMO to jump into, I would definitely recommend it, not like you’re playing Elder Scrolls Online or anything.
1001 Spikes–Mac/PC-3rd June
WildStar–PC-3rd June
PlayStation Vita Pets–PS Vita-4th June
Tango Fiesta–PC-4th June
Ultra Street Fighter 4–PS3/Xbox 360-4th June
Floating Point–PC/Mac-6th June
Hyperdimension Idol Neptunia PP–PS Vita-6th June
Tomodachi Life–3DS-6th June
Murdered: Soul Suspect–Xbox One/Xbox 360/PS4/PS3/PC-6th June
