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| Working on an allotment |
Monday, September 28, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Serbia, Belgrade, Young woman sitting on bench in park
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| Serbia, Belgrade, Young woman sitting on bench in park 2015 Belgrade |
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Portrait of woman with long brown windswept hair
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| Portrait of woman with long brown windswept hair (Belgrade 2015) |
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Monday, September 14, 2015
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Friday, September 11, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Minecraft: Story Mode
Though Telltale Games continues to tell its adventure tales set in the worlds of Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Borderlands, the studio is apparently not so busy that it can't launch another new series. Next up: an adventure set in the monstrously successful pixelated world of Minecraft. The standalone episodic game (ownership or even knowledge of Minecraft is not required, though you'll appreciate Story Mode more if you've played the original) will feature a branching story determined by player choice, revolving around a character named Jesse who must find the "Order of the Stone"—four elite adventurers—in order to save the world. The vocal cast is led by Patton Oswalt and also includes Paul Reubens, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, and Billy West.
Just Cause 3
Sure, 2010's Just Cause 2 represented a significant improvement over the original Just Cause, thanks to fewer bugs and deeper gameplay. Can we expect a similar jump in quality for the third installment in the over-the-top open-world action franchise? That might be too much to ask, though there's nothing wrong with the parachuting, explosive-filled status quo (plus the improved next-gen graphics), even if it lacks, say, GTA's richness of detail and depth of story. JC3's map size will match the previous game's in area, though increased verticality means there is actually more room to play. Sadly, multiplayer will not be included at launch, though there will be leaderboards so that you can compare your progress in various challenges against that of your friends.
Hitman
For the first Hitman game in three years—and, oddly enough, the first to be called by this title—developer IO Interactive (a late replacement for Square Enix Montreal, though IO also developed the other games in the series) is trying something a bit different. The game will be almost episodic in nature, first arriving this December as a digital download. New content (including missions and locations) will be added on a regular basis over the following year, with some missions available for a very limited time after they appear. (A physical retail release will follow in 2016, presumably collecting all of the additional content.) The game will be far more open and less linear than 2012's Hitman: Absolution, while also featuring much larger maps and eliminating that game's checkpoint system.
Halo 5: Guardians
Will the Xbox One finally get its first must-have exclusive? Given that previous installments in the Halo franchise have sold a combined 65 million units, we'd answer that with a yes. Guardians, the sequel to 2012's Halo 4, is the first new Halo game designed for Microsoft's newest console and the second major Halo title developed by 343 Industries. The game centers on a major new playable character, Agent Locke, a Spartan who must track down the also-playable Master Chief (and who was the focus of a recent digital film series, Halo: Nightfall). Taking advantage of the new hardware, Guardians will run at 60fps and feature a larger world than ever before—and a campaign that's reportedly twice as long and co-op friendly. But Halo Nation has been riled up by the absence of a local split-screen multiplayer mode, leaving 343 on the defensive in the months prior to launch. Will the addition of dedicated servers for online multiplayer appease hardcore fans?
Rock Band 4
It's time to get the band back together. Both once-popular music franchises return for the first time since 2010, hoping to capitalize on that next-gen hardware you have sitting in your living room. Rock Band has the advantage of arriving first, though the Guitar Hero reboot will be available for more platforms. The new Rock Band will allow you to keep using all of those extra songs you purchased as DLC for past versions, and you can even use your older instruments if you still have them (though newer versions are also available). Gameplay is similar as well, though guitarists will have more freedom to solo, and there's an optional career-driven RPG element available (though the new game won't try to teach you how to play the guitar, as the previous version did). Of the two games, Guitar Hero appears the most changed. The new guitar controller has a more advanced button layout (with two rows of three buttons), and the on-screen presentation has been upgraded, with full-motion video that puts you on stage in what feels like a real concert. There's also a new feature called Guitar Hero TV, which is basically a delivery mechanism for scheduled content and new challenges. While Guitar Hero Live will include vocals, it lacks the bass and drum parts that are a staple of Rock Band, which could be a dealbreaker for some. Ultimately, however, the choice between the two games may come down to the songs: here are the tracks included with Rock Band 4 (and remember, all the old DLC is still available), and here's the list of songs for Guitar Hero Live, with new content added regularly (starting on day one) through Guitar Hero TV.
Forza Motorsport 6
Forza Motorsport 5, the first release in Turn 10's decade-old racing series for the Xbox One, was the lowest-scoring Forza title to date, hampered by a relative dearth of content (perhaps a result of rushing to get the game out for the console's launch). Two years later, the developer hopes to erase memories of that game with a much bigger sequel. FM6 will feature over 450 vehicles, nine new tracks (and 25 in total), improved graphics, nighttime and wet-weather driving, two-player splitscreen, 24-player online multiplayer, and over 70 hours of content in the single-player campaign. You may not even notice that presenter Jeremy Clarkson is gone.
Fallout 4
Although it may be hard to unseat Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (at press time, 2015's highest-scoring new title) for game of the year honors, many gamers are expecting great things from Fallout 4, while publisher Bethesda is expecting it to its most successful release ever (topping Skyrim). Scores for 2008's Fallout 3 ranged from 90-93, so it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect big things from the post-apocalyptic franchise as it debuts on next-gen hardware—though some fans are already griping about the new game's graphics. The Boston-set game is far bigger and more detailed (and includes more recorded dialogue) than any in series history, reportedly featuring over 400 hours of content. Even when the story ends, you can continue playing, and continue leveling up. An in-game crafting system, a dozen potential companions, the ability to choose your style of play (including avoiding violence for much of the game), and an advanced base customization system are just some of the ways that Fallout 4 aims to suck up much of your time this fall.
Destiny: The Taken King
The end of Destiny's "Year One" comes with the arrival of this third (and, at $40, more expensive) expansion, adding new maps, weapons, subclasses, and even a new voice for Ghost (goodbye Peter Dinklage, hello Nolan North). The new game comes with a one-time level boost as well as an increase in the level cap to 40, while the leveling system will also be overhauled, with an emphasis on experience points rather than "Light" level. (Some of these changes have already rolled out to all Destiny players in this week's latest patch.) Taken King adds a new campaign, a new race of enemy (the Taken), and new places to explore, including the Martian moon Phobos and a massive ship—the Dreadnaught.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Set in a dystopian 2065, where enhanced "supersoldiers" wage a covert war that also involves robotic combatants, Treyarch's third Black Ops release is a direct sequel to 2012's Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which, like last year's most recent CoD release Advanced Warfare (from a different developer), scored in the low 80s—definitely not bad, but far from the franchise's peaks last decade. Is it possible for a franchise that refuses to take a year off to innovate after so many releases? Early buzz suggests the answer to that question is "no," though Black Ops III is not without its new features. Infinite sprinting, wall running, player specialization (in multiplayer), and an attempt to craft a much deeper story in the campaign are just some of the new (to the franchise) features available. Co-op mode allows up to four players online (or two players locally via splitscreen), while one of two zombie modes stars Jeff Goldblum, Heather Graham, Neal McDonough, Ron Perlman, and Robert Picardo. Elsewhere in the game, you'll also encounter NFL star Marshawn Lynch, who presumably shows up only so he won't get fined.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Featuring the first playable female lead in the franchise's history (though Evie Frye's story is shared with that of her twin brother, who is also player-controllable but prefers fighting while his sister opts for stealth), Syndicate is set mainly in Victorian-era London toward the end of the Industrial Revolution. The single-player-only game will add the ability to fight atop moving vehicles among other relatively minor tweaks. Will that be enough to make gamers forget last year's disappointing Unity?
Anno 2205
Can 2015 really give us two good city-builders? Unlike Cities: Skylines, of course, Anno 2205 is set in the distant future. Gone are predecessor Anno 2070's underwater mode, its pollution, and (thankfully) its always-online requirement. Instead, the new game allows you to construct your gleaming cities of the future on both the Earth and on the moon. And the mission-based story is completely optional; you can simply work on perfecting your cities, if that is your preference.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Monday, September 7, 2015
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Saturday, September 5, 2015
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