Blackguards is set in a fantasy world akin to Dungeon and Dragons. The gameplay is split between two different perspectives: the vast overworld, where you can go into towns and shop, and the unexplored regions where you can encounter random enemies. The main part of the game, however, is the battle grid. Here the play area is divided into hexagon tiles and each turn you and your opponent must strategically position your forces to win the day. 

Where the innovation comes in is the game’s use of choices to decide how the battle will play out. Scattered throughout you will find objects that you will be able to interact with or characters to converse with that will affect the course of the game.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Next Level of Strategy in Blackguards - Preview

The first title is Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX+, an expansion to Championship Edition DX that will add several new features to an already fantastic game. Among these are personal progress charts that track how you perform on each playthrough, an upgraded leaderboard system, friend competitions and all sorts of different types of achievements. Best of all, the expansion is free to players who already own the original DX version, though you can purchase additional maps based on other Namco-Bandai properties like Dig-Dug for a small price. Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX+ will be releasing later this summer for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows 8 and Steam.

The next title, and one that I am personally very excited for is Pac-Man Museum, a collection of several Pac-Man games from the 1980’s through to the 2000’s. So far only three titles have been confirmed: the original arcade Pac-Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition and Pac-Man: Battle Royal. I got a chance to try out Battle Royal against one of the game’s developers and can safely say that not only am I amazing at Pac-Man but that the game is extremely fun to play and looks great running in high definition. Pac-Man Museum will be releasing this winter for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Steam and Nintendo 3DS.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Pac is Back! - Preview

The title is a 3D platformer/adventure game where you must help save the citizens of Pac-Man’s world from nefarious ghosts. To do this, Pac-Man can use the powers found within several costumes to give him an edge against the spectres. During my time with the game I managed to find an iguana power-up that allowed Pac-Man to use his now long tongue to swing across chasms and swallow enemies from a distance. Apart from this the game features a lot of running and attacking enemies, and while the gameplay is simplistic and repetitive it is definitely in line with what would appeal to the game's target younger audience.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Pellets and Poltergeists in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures - Preview

The trademarked ‘over the shoulder’ view that has been a series staple since Resident Evil 4 feels right at home with a proper controller (much moreso than the clunky setup from the handheld version). The Wii U version also comes with full gamepad integration for menu and inventory navigation (although it’s not as good as Zombi U's implementation) and off-TV play. So now you can play a game that was ported from a handheld to a console on a controller that doubles up as a handheld... whoa.

One of the best features of Resident Evil: Revelations on the Nintendo 3DS, Raid Mode, is thankfully back and made better than ever thanks to the revamped residentevil.net website, Miiverse integration, and a whole slew of new features that have modernized the experience to console levels. Raid Mode is the perfect model for how co-op integration should be handled in the Resident Evil series.

While the visuals are definitely in high definition, it’s still very apparent that Resident Evil: Revelations was originally a 3DS game. This is most noticeable when it comes to some of the animations and the environments. That being said, it does look quite good when played on a large HD-TV; the characters in particular are of note. Also the art style, namely aboard the Queen Zenobia, is excellent and really adds to the tension of the environment.

The soundtrack also makes the trip over from the 3DS pretty well. The tunes and ambient noises have been modified to sound great on a full sound system and the sound design comes off as very crisp. The voice acting is also solid, though it wouldn’t be Resident Evil without some cheese thrown in for good measure and Revelations is no exception. The story, while one of the best in recent series memory is saddled with some frankly hilarious dialogue and exposition that, while it can take you out of the ‘horror’ mood, is definitely ‘Resident Evil’. 

Clocking in at around 10 hours and the many more you will sink into Raid Mode, Resident Evil: Revelations is a decently long game. I do have an issue, however, with charging almost $50 for a port of a game that was never that expensive to begin with, let alone one that came out just over a year ago. Don’t get me wrong, Revelations is a great game made better by stronger hardware, but it just seems odd to pay so much for something so clearly ported from a handheld system, although Capcom have promised some DLC for Raid Mode in the future so it’s not all bad news when it comes to value for money.

The difficulty has also ramped up considerably from the original release thanks to the addition of an Infernal Mode that will leave you with even less ammunition and tougher enemies that come in greater numbers. Beating this mode will require some serious patience and dedication namely in the early goings of the game as enemies that are usually only met much later in the game pounce on you early and often.

As of writing, Resident Evil: Revelations is available on the 3DS, Wii U, 360, PS3 and PC and I can safely say after spending time with a few of these that the console version is the one to get. The full controller definitely only adds to the experience, although unfortunately that experience does indeed feel like a 3DS game up-resed for home systems with some of its handheld specific quirks still present. That being said, if you’re a fan of Resident Evil you really can’t go wrong with any version of the game on any system.

This review is based on the Wii U version of Resident Evil: Revelations.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Resident Evil: Revelations (WiiU) - Review

The basic gameplay between Company of Heroes 1 and 2 has remained basically the same, which is a very good thing. Instead changing this up the developers have focused on making the experience more dynamic and immersive than ever before. The big additions this time around are dynamic weather effects (blizzards, etc.) that will affect the course of the battle. These storms (apart from being the most heinous looking storms I have ever seen in a game) will have all sorts of effects on the combat, forcing you to either move your units to shelter, or strike during the storm and take advantage of your opponent’s handicap.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Company of Heroes Heads to War - Preview

For those not in the know, Deponia is a series of traditional point and click adventure games starring the oft-unlucky Rufus whose ultimate goal is to escape his life in the slums of Deponia and head to the rich floating city of Elysium along with his love interest, Goal. To accomplish these missions Rufus has resorted to cloning not only himself but Goal as well, resulting in some pretty unique experiences where you can switch between multiple copies of yourself to solve a puzzle. The developers are aiming for roughly 20 hours of gameplay - an extremely good length for a game of this genre.

Artistically, Goodbye Deponia is a very well put together game. It features frame by frame animations and hand drawn visuals, making it look like a comic book come to life. The writing and setting is also very colorful and hilarious too, with the game feeling more like a grown-up Saturday morning cartoon than a point and click adventure game, as evident by the developer’s penchant for bearded babies throughout. The final game will also include full voice acting with some of the original actors returning to their rolls as well as feature translations into many different languages.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Hello, Goodbye Deponia - Preview

The game is a 2D/3D platformer. What this means is that the hub world, boss battles and special sections are played as in a 3D platformer and the principle game is a standard 2D platformer. Now I’m going to be perfectly honest, I didn’t much care for the controls, they felt far too loose and imprecise, something that I suspect is caused by the game using the same jumping mechanic for the 3D and 2D sections. I really do hope that this issue gets ironed out before the game is released because apart from this issue this has the potential to be an excellent title.

Visually the game updates the look from the Genesis original excellently. The level I got to play through feels like a toy box come to life and the world as a whole looks very interesting (I'm getting pretty tired of ‘dark’ Mickey worlds). The sound design is also very ‘Micke’, with jaunty tunes that will have you bouncing along and Mickey’s trademark voice throughout.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Return to the Castle of Illusion - Preview

The first title in this rundown is Domo Jump, starring everyone’s favorite bizarre Japanese mascot. In this game you tilt your iPad to steer Domo to the next ledge and more food. Konami is positioning this game as a ‘quick time waster’ and from my play through of it, it’s more of a waste of time. The tilt controls just seem very unresponsive and it was often hard to get Domo to move even while holding the iPad sideways. The game is free to play but will be supported by microtransactions. It is releasing this summer across all iOS devices.

Next up is MLB Live Challenge, a title that is sure to appeal to fantasy league players and baseball aficionados. In this game you select your favourite baseball team and sim through an entire season one game at a time. The fun comes in building your team via trading cards and betting on the results. Every day real-life results are uploaded to the game and you can earn a higher score for correctly predicting the outcome of said results. I was surprised at how deep the experience was and while I am not the biggest baseball fan I can definitely see the appeal to die hard fantasy leaguers. The game is also free to play but will have some microtransactions throughout. MLB Live Challenge is releasing this summer for all iOS devices.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - A Tour Of Konami Mobile - Preview

The first step is selecting your class, you can choose between a warrior, a cleric and a rogue each with their own unique gameplay styles. For this demo the devloper chose Cleric but also informed us that you are not bound to your class (more on that later). The world that was then presented was a gorgeous medieval castle and battleground running very smoothly on next-generation hardware. The game's sound design was also very impressive with very loud and booming sound effects that actually sounded like they were echoing off the in-game walls.

The game's primary focus is evidently combat, with a heavy dose of strategy used to determine the when and how of battles. For example, with the cleric and his massive war hammer you have to time your attacks perfectly to even hope of landing a hit, while with the rogue you will have quicker strikes at your disposal. The game will also let you switch classes on the fly without much interruption to the flow of the game.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Get to Know Lords of the Fallen - Article

The first scene in the demo acts a sort of tutorial, quickly explaining the game's controls and combat mechanics. After this brief introduction I was thrust into a gauntlet of enemies and forced to use my newly learned moves to defeat them. The combat is overall very similar to the original Lords of Shadow game with some slight alterations here and there. The game then took me through a quick platforming section where quick time events are used to determine where you go and how you land - a mechanic that in the next part of the demo got very important.

After exiting the castle I was met with a massive invading army storming the castle and their leader, a big, golden, angel-guy. I soon began a long battle with him, a mix of button-mashing and strategy. Once he was defeated I was tasked with climbing a giant mechanical robot, using the platforming mechanics mentioned earlier to scale the behemoth. Once at the top, I felled the behemoth and after a short cut-scene the demo ended.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Hands-On with Lords of Shadow 2 - Article

Without a doubt the biggest game that Konami presented at E3 is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and while the game was not playable we did found out a bit more detail regarding the game. It will be releasing in the ‘winter’ (Konami was strangely ambiguous on this point) for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Of course Snake will now be voiced by fellow Canadian Keifer Sutherland. Lastly, the entire game will use an open world structure and will allow you to do what you feel is necessary to advance.

I was then whisked away on a whirlwind tour of several games. First up was Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection, which includes all the main-line Metal Gear games as well as a whole bunch of new goodies and will be releasing on July 9th for the PlayStation 3. The company then showed off a whole bunch of new iOS, 'Droid and Facebook games: Domo Jump, MLB Live Challenge, Casino League and Slot Revolution, all releasing sometime this summer.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Konami Booth Tour - Article

The first I noticed during my hands-on time with the title are the game's impressive visuals. Looking like a modern shooter but with a healthy dash of color thrown into the mix (and a bit of Star Trek style lense flare to boot) the game definitely doesn't look your traditional downloadable title. The alien enemies are also quite well detailed and are diverse enough to present different and challenging gameplay opportunities as the demo went on.

The gameplay, while definitely inspired by games like Resistance and Halo, takes things in a different direction by not focusing on the story but instead on earning points and shooting for a high score. The demo level I played took me deep inside a mine where former alien allies turned against the humans for mysterious reasons. And while the developers have stated that story isn't their focus I am curious to see more of the lore behind Alien Rage.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Don't Fear Alien Rage - Article

The presentation opened with a new trailer for Pokémon X and Y version. The trailer showed the 18th Pokémon type, Fairy. Also a new Nintendogs style mini-game called Pokémon Amie (French for freind) will also be making its debut. The game will be releasing on October 12th.

Next up is Nintendo's big title for the holiday season, Super Mario 3D World. The first console 3D Mario game to feature 4 player simultaneous co-op. The trailer also showed how each of the four heroes (Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach) will play differently, just like they did in Super Mario Bros. 2.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Nintendo Direct E3 2013 Recap - Article

At Sony's E3 Pre-Media Media Conference the console wars was officialy kicked into overdrive. Sony announced that PlayStation 4 users will be able to trade in used games as well as play their single player games offline in an obvious response to Microsoft's tight restrictions. The catch? It seems like a PS+ membership will be required to play games online. More info on the cat-fight as it develops.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - PS4 Will Support Used Games, Charges for Multiplayer - News

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - You Can Breathe Again, Kingdom Hearts III Announced - News

The conference opened with probably one of the most radical sequel ideas ever, Plants VS. Zombies: Garden Warfare. A third person shooter inspired by Popcap’s original garden defense game and powered by the Frostbite 3 engine. Surprisingly, it doesn’t look half bad and is definitely something I will be checking out on the show floor.

They then followed it up by presenting a short teaser for a highly requested title, a new installment in the Star Wars: Battlefront universe. But that’s all we know for now.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - EA's E3 Press Conference Wrap-Up - Article

The very first thing you will notice when starting up The Starship Damrey is the fact that the game will offer up no tutorials or guidance as to how it should be played; the only advice you are given is that sound is an integral part of the experience, so don’t turn off those speakers. You will spend the bulk of the game controlling AR-7, a small utility robot (not unlike R2-D2) as he tries to find the means to free his controller from the cryo-chamber as well as find out what it is that has plagued the Damrey.

You will explore the Damrey from a first person perspective, finding the means to unlock more areas of the (seemingly) haunted spacecraft. The game’s puzzles have a very old-school, Resident Evil vibe (find strange key in strange place, unlock door, rinse and repeat), though some will leave you completely scratching your head as the game gives you very little indication as what to do next, forcing you to literally search every inch of the ship just looking for something you can interact with. That being said, I do appreciate how the Damrey feels like one big puzzle floating in space. Everything is in some way intertwined with something else which makes each action feel that much more important to the outcome of the story.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Starship Damrey (3DS) - Review

You are Tempo, a young boy who is quickly thrown into the role of hero, tasked with saving the musically inclined world of Melodia from the foul sounding Noizoids (I assume they’re rocking some serious dubstep). Similar to the BIT.TRIP: Runner games, Harmoknight is a (mostly) 2D rhythm platformer, where you have to jump and attack in time with the rhythm to collect as many notes as possible and advance to the next stage. And while this is a tried and true concept it seems that Harmoknight is content with breaking every rule that goes with making a good rhythm-platforming game.

Let’s start with the controls. ‘B’ jumps and ‘A’ attacks. Simple, right? Well it would be if they actually worked. Okay that might be a bit harsh. Yes pressing ‘B’ will make Tempo jump and ‘A’ will make him attack. The problem is that the hit detection and timing are so off what the rhythm ‘tells’ you to do that often times you will find yourself missing a note or getting hit because you didn’t mentally adjust to pressing the button before the actual beat. This issue is present throughout the entire game and makes the whole experience more frustrating than fun.

I also have a bone to pick with the game’s tutorials. While I’m fine with a couple of levels showing me the basics, do these practice levels really have to be so lengthy? After a couple of jumps, anyone will get the concept, so why do you have to show the game you can do it 10 more times? On the other hand late game mechanics (such as switching direction by pressing the D-Pad) are introduced entirely without any warning.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Harmoknight (3DS) - Review

This entry in the long running franchise is a spin-off of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, which released in 2010 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Set 25 years after the events of the original game, the game follows three characters central to the Castlevania mythos: Simon Belmont, Trevor Belmont and Alucard. Along the way you will discover the stories and secrets of each of these characters as well as uncover the mysteries surrounding the titular Mirror of Fate.

Unlike its console predecessor, Mirror of Fate follows the lineage set by 2D adventures like the Aria games or Symphony of the Night. You will explore Dracula’s castle from a 2D perspective, fighting monsters, discovering secrets and solving puzzles. And for the most part the game does an admirable job of emulating the feel of the older instalments while keeping the action feeling fresh with modern elements (though it could certainly do without the ‘do or die’ quick time events).

Being one half of the ‘Metroidvania’ sub-genre you pretty much know what you’re getting into when you pop the cartridge into your 3DS. Some combat, some platforming and some puzzles. And while the game doesn’t do any of these elements poorly it doesn’t blow you away either. The puzzles, while complex, are few and far between and seem to serve only to break up the flow of the game. Meanwhile, the platforming is plagued by awkward controls and repetitive sections, and the combat tries to be more complicated than it needs to be.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow: Mirror Of Fate (3DS) - Review

For the uninitiated, Runner 2 is an auto-running 2D platformer, however unlike the countless imitators that line the virtual shelves on your cell phone's marketplace, it’s actually (gasp!) pretty good. Following from where the original left off, Runner 2 follows the valiant Commander Video as he chases his nemesis across the globe. It’s not long, however, before our hero falls prey to some sort of reality distortion beam and enters a world far more fantastic than his 8-bit home ever was.

That’s all well and good but nobody picks up a BIT.TRIP game for the story (and if they do they probably have a doctorate in the philosophy of abstract computer sciences). No, the reason we’re all here is for the world class gameplay and in this sense, Runner 2 does not disappoint. Everything that Command Video could do in the WiiWare original he can do on the e-Shop, so the learning curve is pretty slight for gamers who have already played through the first Runner, but it’s not long before a whole new bag of tricks open up the experience.

First, there's a whole new move-set for Commander Video. He can now perform some actions while sliding (slide kicks, jumps) as well as some rhythmic quick-time-events where you can’t fail but earn points for your accuracy. While these new ideas really do add a whole new layer of moves without forcing gamers to re-learn the game, it’s the lesser used modifications that I found myself wanting more of. Later on in the game, you will encounter a level or two where the perspective shifts or maybe you’ll even start running in the wrong direction (blasphemy!) but these levels are few and far between and, in the end, just make you wonder what else they could have cooked up with these ideas.

But these minor annoyances are just road bumps on what turns out to be a fun experience. While the core of BIT.TRIP: Runner has always been perfecting your jumps, slides, kicks and blocks, Runner 2 introduces us to a whole new element for the series… exploration. Levels are now littered with secret exits, unlockable costumes and characters and special 8-bit levels forcing you to push your BIT.TRIP skills to the limit to find them all. The series also, finally opens its arms to newcomers by introducing mid-level checkpoints, though the adventurous among us will always find a reason to skip over them.

Runner 2 is also very good at easing you into its various controls, never introducing more than one new element per level and overwhelming unnecessarily. The Wii U Gamepad is utilised perfectly, with no ‘gimmicks’ like touch screen or motion controls to convolute the game. In fact, where the game really shines is when it’s in the palm of your hands, allowing you to focus in on every detail and trying to spy a hidden treasure chest.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend Of Rhythm Alien (WiiU) - Review