Hello Community!

 

 

Welcome to a new feature i shall be running on the Hub that puts the spotlight on you, the gamer. Each edition will feature an interview with a person or person(s) who have i feel deserve to have a spotlight on them for doing something awesome and or fun in gaming that you don't normally see floating around because it's not a craptacular Call Of Duty no scope craptage bla bla.

 

So, for the feature's virgin appearance i have chosen a game that is close to my heart, and that of many others. Dragon's Dogma, the open world, monster slaying RPG from the fine folks at Capcom. Now this game deserves a good looking for three key reasons;

 

1. It's very good and reaks of potential going forward

2. It recently had two new modes added to it free of charge, hard mode and speed run mode

3. It has an expansion coming out April 26th....and i'm throthing at the gamer gash for it and i feel you all should be to!
 

 

Dark Arisen?! Time to get your groove on! WOOOOOO

 

Now, i could of quite happily spoke about a specific part of the game myself, but, the Hub is all about the xbox community and that's you guys n gals! So, whilst browsing twitter i stumbled accross an old poster from the OXF forums who was telling some interesting tales about his experiance's on the new additions, hard mode and speed run, to Dragon's Dogma. The passion in his tweets caught my eye....then, it struck me, a holy light beamed down from the sky and our first gamer was chosen. So.....

 

 

Q. Allow me to introduce you to our first guest on the feature, passionate gamer and Dragon's Dogma veteran 'redpixelstory'

A. Hello. I'm 'redpixelstory'; specifically stylised in that manner and not because I lost my caps lock key. I've been around the Xbox domain for well over half a decade now, but not always by this name. My favourite 360 games always seem to turn out being medieval fantasy, which is what originally drew me to Dragon's Dogma. My Arisen currently goes by the very original name of Red, although this could change easily. And he travels with the timid main pawn known as Montserrat (although I always refer to her as Montse, or Monmon). I like messing around with the character creator and experimenting, so it's possible these could have changed by the time this is published.

 

 

Q. So i've picked you to feature you as i've been rather entranced by your exploits on a new game plus mode on Dragon's Dogma, the aptly named Speed Run mode. But, to those of us not in the know what exactly is speed run and how does it differ to the main game?

A. It is identical to the main game in every way aside from a few key elements. The save system is disabled, for one. The clock stops whilst menus are open, traversing the rift, and during dialogue and cutscenes. So you can still take breaks and just hope there isn't a power cut.

Secondly, speed run mode has to be played offline. You can only hire pre-made pawns. Lastly, all items you acquire or use during speed run mode are neither gained, nor lost in your main Dragon's Dogma save.
 

 

Q. How have you found the speed run mode? Enjoyable, frustrating, challenging....?

A. Those three words sum it up rather well actually. It's enjoyable to challenge yourself to see how fast you can complete sections of the game. Whilst a low end time is what you aim for, I find it far more enjoyable to beat sections without being slowed down at all. But that is where the frustration can come into play. Sometimes you can get caught on walls, mistime a jump, or generally just be hindered by bad pawn AI. Since pawns act based on their inclinations it's vital to pick the right style to accompany you.

The challenge only really comes from getting the big enemies out of the way. Sometimes those chimeras just refuse to die. It can be a real challenge if you're so far ahead of your pawns that you end up soloing monsters. Seeing that speed run is locked at normal mode, though, I can't complain too much.

 

 

Q. Right then, let's put the chips on the table, what's your best time?

A. Right now it's 36 minutes and 34 seconds. I have no doubt that some people have topped that, but that's what adds the challenge to speed run mode.

(To put that into perspective it can take at least 7 hours to do the main game without even touching half of the side quests - Jonno)

 

 

Q. Nicely done! So as a speed run veteran what are your tips and tricks for those budding speed runners amongst us who want to challenge the leaderboard??

A. Travel light. Seriously, running at your absolute fastest cuts minutes off your time. It's good to have a pawn that can carry everything you need, like Large Mushrooms and Liquid Vim. It's good to have items prepared, too. You carry everything over from your main save file so keeping things like Maker's Finger and twenty Wakestones can bypass long sections of the game. I would also recommend doing a proper New Game Plus beforehand. You can place Portcrystals where you need to be, cutting down travel time over Gransys.

There are some more good tips on the Dragon's Dogma wiki if you want to give speed run mode a try. However, I found that improvisation worked well for me. Knowing where to jump or roll can cut a good chunk off your final time.

 

Q. As a big Dragon's Dogma fan you must be looking forward to the expansion, Dark Arisen, that's coming this April. What are your thoughts based on what we do know and what would you like to see that hasn't been announced??

A. I'm very interested to see what will happen with the story. The initial trailer referenced the original ending, indicating that the Dark Arisen dungeons may be post-ending Arisen. If you've seen what happens in the true ending then it will be very interesting to see where that leads. I'm also looking forward to seeing the improved menu system which will also carry over to the original game. And of course the hundreds of new pieces of equipment interest me greatly. Character customisation is a big part of what makes Dragon's Dogma such a beautiful game.

 

 

There we have it! Thank you very much to redpixelstory for his time.

I'm hoping his tales of speed run adventure and tips have got you Dogma players pumped up and tempted to see what the game has to offer with it's fresh additions.

Do you think you can beat his impressive time of 36 mins and 34 seconds? Even for the non-Dogma players out there, this game has something for everyone, the hardcore rpg players, the player who likes a challenge and even the perfectionist, who wants to better every perfromance - ala speed run. Can you beat him?? There's Only one way to find out!

You to can find redpixelstory on twitter, just stick an @ in front of his name.
 

 

Flaming Griffon transport - unconventional yet highly effective!

 

 

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

If you'd like to feature on the next edition of Gamer Spotlight from me a tweet @Paragon53 as to what game and why you'd like a spotlight. Don't be shy, I look forward to hearing from you!
 

Hello Community/makers of demon tears

 

Today i present you with a release date for the much anticipated BLOODY PALACE (Jackpot!) addition to DmC. Those familiar with DMC 3 and 4 will be all to familiar with the 100 level survival-boss fest in which players are thrown into an hour and a half long slog through some of the games most extreme and difficult enemy combos in a war of style, attrition and skill. That's right, no saving, no wussy items. Just you, hoardes of enemies and oh, a time limit....no rest for the wicked!

 

No doubt this little chestnut is one of the easier levels.....have fun!

 

In previous iterations of the palace the game starts on normal difficulty and then follows up by jumping up the difficulty a notch after so many stages, leaving you to do the latter levels not only contending the hardest difficulty but also the toughest, most cruel enemy formations.....any DMC players dream situation!

 

This addition to the game, announced before it's release will be a free download and with it will come a few cheeky patch notes to make the game more balanced for both the player...and the enemies (n'awww).

 

Here's all the juicy details, straight from Capcom Unity's mouth;

-Poison AI issue addressed (she no longer enters non-interactive state)
-Lessened damage and style boost from Demon Evade
-Arbiter "Drop" now causes damage and style gain even if jump-canceled 
-Non-damaging moves no longer provide style points
-Damage done by weakest enemies increased
-Damage done by all enemies increased on Nephilim and Son of Sparda modes
-Adjusted attack (parry) windows for Rage spin move.
-SS and SSS will now decay back down to S if you stop gaining style
-No more eternal angel glide (where Dante flies around)

 

Bloody Palace, the true test for any DmC player worth their salt will be released in both NA and Europe on 20/02/2013. Be there.

 

 

p.s i really hope this comes with an achievement. Completing such a hard challenge as this surely deserves a badge of honor.

 

 

 

Hello Community!

 

Today i bring you a piece inspired by my playing of the newly released Dead Space 3. Now this piece won't be about the game itself, although it is rather good! (especially the co-op) Today i will be highlighting a positive trend i've noticed within a few of EA's game series; cross game content.

But what is this cross game content you speak of i hear you ask? Well, it's nothing flashy or game changing, it's a nod, a pat on the head in the form of pixel goodness, in this case gear wise. To be specific it's when a developer or publisher rewards it's players by unlocking neat stuff for it's community if they own other game's under their wing. 

Now my first immediate instance of this was the Mass Effect - Dragon Age relationship which unlocked a set of armor in both games if you had a save file of the other present on the Xbox. This would present you with these tidy little gems:

 

Blood Dragon Armor - Tidy!

 

Now both sets of armor where decent bits of kit of which i used Dragon Age's version through most of the game either on my warrior of one of my companions. Sadly the Mass Effect version didn't get much of a run from me because N7 Armor, that is all.

And so it seemed that this would not be the only time we would see this relationship between games occur. EA decided to expand it from beyond Bioware's hugely popular Mass Effect/Dragon Age Series and more recently bring it accross the developer pond to Dead Space 3. Now, this little unlock caught me by surprise when i booted up the game yesterday as i unlocked both an N7 Suit for both Isaac and Carver but a suped up Plasma Cutter for having both Dead Space 2 and Mass Effect 3 saved data - 2 nods for the price of 1? SHAZZAM!

Free kickass N7 Armor? Hubba Hubba!

 

Now whilst it doesn't seem like much, to those of us who really get into their games, or like me, are huge Mass Effect fans this simple nod and gift of appreciation goes a long way in an industry which is currently rife with on disc dlc and over the top pricing for character skin packs. Now i know there are probably other examples of this that i'm unaware of, but for me, being rewarded with more of my favourite stuff, purely for being a loyal customer, well that makes me a happy panda.

 

It would be nice to see this trend of series/publisher loyalty carry on and expand to other stalwarts within the industry. I mean i can't help but feel Capcom missed a trick by not doing something similar with the new DMC by including a classic Dante skin as a thank you to those who had either DMC 4 or  the HD collection on their hard drive. Not only would it have possibly slowed down the rage train from the old school fanatics but for me, a loyal player/customer since DMC 1 it would have been a damn nice gesture. As it turns out they sold it as part of a DLC skin pack.....money money mooooneh! (Yes, i purchased it because it looked awesome and i'm a bit of a DMC whore...not one of those rabid haters though, just to clarify!)

 

So there we are, just a little highlight of those teeny moments when the little things can make a big difference. As it turns out i've beeing reppin the N7 Armor all the way through Dead Space 3 so ta very much EA!

 

Dead Space 3 was released today or for you future lot 08/02/2013, i'm just over halfway through and i'm luvin it! So GO GET! If you're on the fence check back later once i've given the campaign and co-op a good lashing to see if we can't tempt you over to the Dark Side.

 

Good to see Call of Duty fanatics get represented in Dead Space 3! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH SNAP!

Hello Community

 

 

Today i'm going to be taking a look back at one of the best games to grace our console in the last 3 years, one game that i feel every xbox owner should play - Dark Souls.

Dark souls is an open world adventure RPG from the minds of From Software and Namco Bandai. The game is unlike any other you would have played on Xbox - it is unforgiving, hard, brutal and one of the most rewarding and damn fun games that will grace your console this gen.

 

 

For those that havn't played Dark Souls here's a quick run down; you start the game by designing your own character from scratch, that's your looks, name and starting stats. Your starting stats and abilities are determined by picking a class - which also determines what gear you begin with. You have your usual builds such as warrior, cleric and caster classes which then open up and divserse into catagories such as pyromancer, thief, knight, sorcerer and even the mysterious and almighter 'Enigma' class.....who starts off in his/her underpants with a wooden bat as a weapon. (FEEL THE OP'NESS). The game then starts you off in your prison cell in the a-hole of knowhere and off you go. From that point the game does not point you in any direction, hold your hand, kiss it better when you get a booboo. What you do and achieve on this game is down to you; want to know how to build your character? Read the statistics in detail and study how you as the player want to develop your character and make it so. You want to find out where to go next? Have a bloody wander then! And about the wandering, this is both genius and horrifying as the game doesn't scale to you, you scale to it by en large. If you wander off to a place you technically shouldn't be the only way you will find out is by your body being strewn accross floor, again and again and again.

You can make your character however you want once you've picked your base characteristics. Super tank, warrior with lightning powers, mage, ninga with fire throwing abilities, jack of al trades, swords and sorcery - whatever you want you can combine it and build it....apart from an all godly character, because you know, that'd be silly now wouldn't it! The game allows you to do this by throwing a ton of look at you in the form of armor, weapons and clothing so that your character is truely unique in it's branding of kick ass.

If you can see it, the chances are you can explore it....and then there's what's under the ground....

 

 

 

The game can be a very solitairy affair, party chat is banned if you wish to play online and it is technically a single player game. You vs the world baby! But then on the flip side this is also a very multiplayer game with other players being able to directly influence your game both passively and oh so actively in both co-operative and counter operative fashions. For example, throughout your adventures you can see ghostly figures of other players just going about their daily business as well as messages left by them to offer you advice or troll you into running off a cliff looking for treasure. You of course can leave these messages to help or hinder fellow souls. But the meat of the multiplayer is summoning and invading. If you wish to help a fellow player you can lay down a 'Summon Sign' and another player can activate it and summon you to their world to take on that area's boss. Of course there's no talking in this game which means you communicate through a pre-set amount of gestures your character can perform. On the flip side, evil players can choose to invade your world and attempt to kill you - because they can which leads to an interesting set of circumstances and a game that you can never truely predict.

Now, that's Dark Soul's in a teeny tiny nutshell, but has this formula of rock hard gameplay and a persistent multiplayer world stood the test of time over a year on or has it slowly slunk off into the shadows?

 

Player character and 2 summoned players taking it to a Dragon!

 

I recently started playing Souls again at the reccomendation of a gym friend of mine - who has 1000/1000 the game and cannot rate it highly enough. But why leave it in the first place, i hear you ask!

The reason i gave up on my first character was i got to a particular part of the game called 'Sen's Fortress' or as i once called it "F**k this S**t" as not only are powerful enemies trying to kill you but the damn castle is one large, winding booby trap that will kill you when you least expect it and at that point i hadn't given the game enough time to learn about summoning allies or the base mechanics - my fault really. So, fresh character in tow (Pyromancer - swordsman) off i went with the guidance of my friend to re-discover Dark Souls.

Now,  In order to help eachother we would agree to meet at pre-determined locations with our summon signs, summon eachother and complete the areas boss, then repeat for the other. This allowed us to go through the game in pretty much full co-op and get tons of the game's resources - primarily souls and the much sought after humanity. As we went on i didn't know whether the game would still be heaving or merely have a sprinkling of players throughout the world. Alas, i was pleasently surprised to find summon signs and messages from the moment i hit the main world map all the way through to Anor Londo and from what i've seen since then they have no sign of stopping. On top of that i've been invaded 3 times - which isn't to bad as i know my friend get's hassled a bit more. The thing is though, it felt good, it felt good seeing so many players at varying levels still helping, still hindering to create and continue the fantastic world From Software have created and allowed the player's to define.

It's the community in particular which has really held me to Dark Souls, even when the enemies where getting bigger and the challenge seemingly overwhelming i would seek an ally - of which i found every player i'd summon would enter my world and bow, of which i'd recipricate. Then, seeing i was clearly a less experianced player guide me where i needed to go and together we would take down the boss's and their bitches. This wasn't an isolated case but the expected behavior of said community - one of politeness, chivalry and watching out for one's fellow gamer. Even when i was defeated by an invasion by a high level mage, upon my death the invader merely bowed down in respect, i nearly fell off my chair in shock having not long ago finished player Blop's 2 where both my sexuality and the location of my mother was questioned multiple times.

If you're an old Soul's player, who like me put it down before reaching the end, this game deserves your attention again. The community is as strong as ever and has developed into something From Softwear  and we, as gamers, can be proud of. If you've never played the game and you want a true challenge that is both fun, rewarding and challenging then PICK THIS GAME UP! You'll be able to get it cheap as chips new and it will get you hungry for the recently announced Dark Souls 2....NOM NOM NOM!

 

So.....what are you waiting for?

THE VAGE DRAGON AWAITS YOU!

 

 

 

 

Hello Community,

 

Allow me to introduce you to

 

Those keen Resi fans amongst us will recognise this as a Resi title that is not new, but one that was originally released on the Nintendo DS as a portable game last year. But fear not my console based brother's and sister's Capcom have decided to release an updated, HD version of their nautical zombie nightmare on our fair 360.

 

For those out the loop of the handheld world let me bring you up to speed:

Revelations is set between the legendary Resident Evil 4 and the Chris Redfield Bicep bonanza the zombie safari that is Resi 5. The story follows franchise favourites Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine as they seek out the truth behind the T-Virus and the...revelations behind it! (see what i did there!

The game opens on the ill fated cruise liner 'Queen Zenobia' where our protagonists begin their search for the truth in the dark, twisted and bloodstained corridors of the Zenobia, bringing back the very memories of claustrophobia and entrapment that the very first Resident Evil hurled upon us. But that won't be the only destination you can expect to visit as the late game opens up to the T-Virus ravaged city of Terragrigia.

 

As an extra little treat the port will bring with it: 

Better Graphics - BOOM

Harder Difficulties - OOOOSH

New Enemies and playable characters - SNAZZYLISCIOUS

Moar guns! - MORE BOOM

 

Capcom has raised their game by not only porting their popular DS title over to the 360 but by beefing it up for our console needs! Not only can you expect the new additions above but the co-operative Raid Mode, the Mercenaries esque mode complete with it's own mission scenarios and character progression!

 

There's something for every Resident Evil fan here - you can get yourself a ticket for the Queen Zenobia by pre-ordering at your retailer of choice. Just be ready to set sail on May 24th!

Hello Community!

 

First of all a Happy New Year and well done for surviving the apocolypse, jolly good show!

 

Today i bring to you a tale of surprise, shock, horror and lament. A tale so horrid it had be thinking for days, wondering what could have been, what...could have happened?

Anyway, enough of the cryptic hoohar, lets get knee deep shall we!

 

The tale i speak of is the cause of Hitman, in which a very specific level made me a very very angry panda, i was literally seething after completing it. "But Jonno, what level caused this to you and why?" you may ask, well, it was a level that involved this:

A STRIP CLUB!

 

Now, you'll all be relieved to know that the fact that the level takes place in a strip club is what angers me, i mean c'mon, i'm not some flannel. This is infact, where the stroke of genius begins. The mission starts out simply enough, kill the strip club owner because he has some connection to the over arcing story which hadn't drawn me in at all. Having completed a few missions before this one i was looking forward to just lamping the target with some sort of sex toy before legging it out the back door. However, what followed left me stunned, angry and eventually, very impressed.

 

As soon as the level began i sought out a disguise, much like the one seen above to allow me to mosey about the joint un-challenged, this led me to the various changing rooms and back areas of the club where the strippers/ dancers relaxed and put on their make-up. This all seemed pretty normal to me as i trundled about looking for a comical item to dispatch my target with, that is until i started listening. Some of the dancer's where new to the club and from their conversations seemed worried, i listened deeper. The girls spoke of how they where being forced into sexual acts and raped by the club's owner (my target) and his cronies. Now, i didn't expect a bit of background chatter like that! I was like "Pffft this sucka going doooown" so i decided to stop looking for a banana shaped tool of destruction and thought i'd just blast the nasty bastard in the face. I then stalked him, during which i found out he was a bit of a dick. Then, having found my chance i slipped through a curtain which found me in the exact position seen below:

The target, soon to be a few braincells lighter

 

So, i shot him in the face, undetected of course, and began to mosey backstage to head upstairs and escape the club. When i passed the strippers i had listened to earlier the new addition said she wanted to leave, of which the veteran dancer's told her she was trapped and just had to smile and get on with it....or face a trip to 'Hawaii', i thought, eh, some sort of euphamism, or maybe a safe haven? and off i went again, skulking off upstairs.

That was when i came accross a second group of girls, once again preparing for their dance slot in the main bar. This time one of the girls was panicing, explaining that the man i has just killed was expecting her to 'entertain' him and a whole group of his friends and how scared she was - yes, you can imagine exactly what this refers to. The young dancer was saying how she would refuse to do it, that's when i heard the term "You'll end up in hawaii" mentioned again, but, this time in more detail. It turned out hawaii was a place the boss took girls who didn't co-operate and did bad things to them, sometimes, they didn't even come back. I began to become entranced with this gem of writing i came accross as i begain to regret killing the target so swiftly, he was a right scum bag...and the girls still hadn't alluded to me exactly what this 'Hawaii' was, i was hooked.

I finished listening to the conversation and headed off, resigned to the idea that the developers had intentionally done this, to make me think and conjour up my own dark circumstance for the poor victims - a clever piece of writing i may add, if not slightly frustrating.I then went off to the exit door, which i thought would end the mission, but, i was wrong.

After entering the rafters of the club and venturing through the attic i discovered Hawaii.....

"Aloha"

Just take a second and have a good look at that, the chair, tape, binds, even the sadistic fairy lights. You can only imagine what disgusting horrors happened to the victims of the man i had killed. I then saw the blood at the base of the chair, at that point, something flicked and i was seething, i wanted to go back to the target and make him suffer, a bullet to the brain was to good to him for what my mind was conjouring up that he did to these girl, i wanted to bleed him dry. I was mortified, literally appalled at what i thought a group of pixels had done to another group of pixels, which in my mind, had become people. Now just out of shot is a video camera on a tri-pod and a ditched body of one of the girls, just to ram home that kick to the moral knackers (or lady knackers for our female hitladies!).

 

I couldn't believe what was effectively a background, teeny tiny side story that i couldn't even get involved in evoking such a strong emotion from me. I especially didn't expect to find it in this mission, or even a Hitman game! If i wasn't listening or had taken a different route/assasination technique i would never have even come accross it either. Now i've allowed myself a level of empathy for characters before, for example Mass Effect, i genuinely got attached to my crew, heck i even welled up when *spoiler alert* Mordin died*end spoiler*. But i have to give credit to the Hitman team for turning what seemed to be quite a lighthearted, eye candy mission into one of the darkest, angry and eye opening mission's i have ever played in a video game. Funny that as i up until that point, Hitman hadn't touched me at all narrative wise and then WHAM, sucker punch.

 

This proves a point to me that a Computer Game Design Graduate and good friend once told me: "A good game is made up of many core, big elements, but a great game doesn't forget about the little things" <- Take note!

 

If you've got the game, go back to this mission and take it all in if you missed it first time, if you havn't got it i picked my copy up for £20 brand new over the christmas period so get involved people! I

 

 

 

 

Hello Community, i hope you all had a brilliant christmas and have a happy new year!

 

Today i bring to you news of hypocrisy and EA taking a step back from what can be described as a misplaced advertising deal with the devil.

So, let us begin...

 

The NRA, or National Rifle Association, a large and influential group of gun nuts in the U S and A have decided that the horrific shootings that sadly occured in Newtown this month are down to, you guessed it, video games. These pearls of wisderp came straight from the NRA's nice president Wayne LaPierre;

 

"There exists in this country, sadly, a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells and stows violence against its own people,"

 

Now, correct me if i'm wrong but a group of gun lobby loons blaming video games for a high school shooting is not only disgustingly misplaced, and disrespectful to the families but....highly ironic given what the group stand for.

 

"Gun's don't kill people, video games do" - Aka DERP

 

So once again video games are used as a scapegoat against wider issues of firearm's usage and availability in the USA, mental health and it's treatment/support in America. Then there's the whole wider spectrum of social issues which weren't even touched on, for example, the kid's family, who happen to be "Preppers" - people who believe a civilisation crushing event is imminent and train for such an occasion. Knee jerk reaction, lack of in depth discussion FTW!

 

Right off the back of this EA games, one of the foundation developers of our gaming industry took the rather wise step to remove direct links to gun stores in the USA from it's Medal Of Honor website. Yes, EA was advertising the sale of real guns on their site.....silly...silly move.

 Now the news that EA had gone along with this at first shocked me, then it horrified me, then i lol'd. Medal of Honor could well appeal to the gun nut types over at the NRA, so naturally, get into bed with them and say hey, you love the shooty shooty in game, why not buy them irl to! I can't be critical on EA on this, i mean look at the success of FPS Russia and other gun channels on youtube - it was a misplaced, badly judged decision when they had to compete against Activision and Call of Duty.

 

Remember when people just.....enjoyed video games?

 

Source: BBC News

 

 

Hello Community!

 

It would appear the good people over at Capcom have started to drip feed us some delicious nuggets of Dark Arisen goodness over the last week. But what news of this 'Dark Arisen' has come forth i hear you cry!? Well see below for what has been unearthed for us to get excited about....

 

 

 

 

The information released thus far details the enviroment and some of the new enemies we'll be clashing with in the expansion pack. Some are familiar foes with a fresh twist and others, well, see for yourself;

 

Meet 'Prisoner Cyclops', or as i like to call him Gimpy

This first addition to the bestiary appears to be a tougher version of the iconic cyclops beast with the difficulty being turned up a notch by the fact his squishy bits are covered in pesky armor! Whether or not we will be able to smash off his helm will determine how easy this foe will fall.

 

 

Greater Goblins, the ASBO champions of Gran Soren

Nothing to new in regards to these critters, except their badassary has been cranked up a notch. Hilarious to fight yet equally painful when you meet their Everfall lurking cousins these familiar foes are sure to pack a punch when they come at you in Hoardes.

 

and now.....*Drum Roll*

 

DEATH - "Live and let die"

Probably the most exciting piece of news about Dark Arisen of late, this bad boy. Yes you will be facing down death in the expansion back.  He looks damn huge and very dangerous. So much so our brave Arisen and her pawn's are choosing a tactical withdrawal to consider their options.

Whether or not Death is a mini-boss, antagonist or merely a mob monster is still underwraps for now, but we can expect to see more of him and his involvement in the DLC in the near future, either way i look forward to facing this fearsome foe! This could also be a sign that we may well see other brand new enemy additions to the series for the player to square up against. Time will tell!

 

 

 

On top of the new enemy information provided, Capcom employee and bastion of Dragon's Dogma Information GregaMan had this to say about what to expect from the expansion pack;

-In Dark Arisen, the Arisen will face a new challenge in an Underworld Dungeon at the other end of the world, on "Bitterblack Isle."
-There will be even greater character customization.
-New armor and equipment will be added. Details pending.
-You can use your Dragon's Dogma save data, preserving the levels and status of your Arisen and Pawns.
-Japanese voiceover will be added.

 

So in short WOOP!

More of what we want to make Dragon's Dogma go that little bit further, more gameplay, new locations and more customisation to make our Arisen and their companions our own!

 

Watch this space:

 

 

 

Hello Monster slayers, Dragon killers aka Community!

 

Today i bring you good news from the creators of Dragon's Dogma, the mighty Capcom! Yesterday, or, the 4/12/2012 for those reading this is the future (mystical!) saw the release of some much desired practical DLC for the awesome, amazing, GOTY contender that is Dragon's Dogma.

But fear not brave Arisen, this is not mere hair or gear packs as seen before, this is some meaty goodness and best of all it's FREE!

Now i know free and Capcom don't normally go hand in hand but they did pledge to change their tune and it looks like they are keeping to their word by adding a whole new layer to their epic RPG.

The DLC itself is titled A Trial For Adventurers - Challenge Pack and introduces two new modes to the game, details are sketchy on them but you can now get involved with both a hard mode (JEAH!) and a speedrun mode for you BEASTS out there.

 

Not only that but completing these new modes comes with their rewards in the form of costumes from some of your favourite characters...yes, even the mental king bloke...

 

Hard Mode goodies

 

                                                                                                      

 

 

Speed Run Goodies

 

 

Now, as i mentioned what these modes entail is sketchy at this moment in time, so i, your brave and hard mode luvin Jonno will be diving into this DLC over the coming weeks and giving you fine people my experiances on what this free update has to offer. I won't be doing speed run, just hard mode...because...you know HARD MODE! (If any of you do try speed running drop me a line and it may well feature here on the hub!)

 

Now if that's got you hungry for more Dogma then let me give you something to really get pumped about....an expansion! Yes, next year Capcom will be gracing us with a full blown expansion for Dragon's Dogma known only as "Dark Arisen", not much is known about it, but when more info becomes available i will have it right here for you to get your teeth into!

 

Also, if you havn't got this gem GO GET! It is unlike anything on the 360 and if you even slightly like Skyrim you will love this game and even better, if you hate Skyrim you will also love this game! No doubt you can get it for a bargain now so get involved!!!! BTW if anyone is wondering what my pawn is she's a tank names LouLou, check her out under "Paragon N7" and get yourself a can oh whupass!

 

 

Hello Community!

 

Today I bring to you something i stumbled across during my magical adventures on Xbox Live. Something so awesome i at first didn't realise what it was until it had happened a few times, and what's more, I found it in a game i normally slate the hell out of; Call of Duty Black Ops 2.

Now lets set the record straight, i'm a big Battlefield fan and prefer it over cod for the overall quality of gameplay and the experiance it provides. To me, CoD is a "good" game, but that's all it is, A clever developer that took advantage of the market at a time where there wasn't a widely popular console game that catered to gun fans whilst providing quick and simple shooty fun times that you can pick up and play without a second thought. Since CoD's birth we have seen what can only be described as it shedding it's skin every 8-12 months, scraping off the naff bits and making other bits a bit shinier, nothing ground breaking but it caters to the majority and that's why it's so damn successful. It literally prints money....

An early look at the Activision Xmas party.

 

Having said that, i'm not here to slate CoD as it is, at it's core a *cough* 'good' game and i do play it for the reason mentioned above, I can just jump in a game, let the crap hit the fan and then just bounce around from lobby to lobby sampling the different game modes Blops 2 has on offer. That's when, early evening last night I found myself playing Search & Destroy. Now for those of you who havn't sampled this delight let me bring you up to speed:

-2 teams

-1 life per player, no respawn

-1 team attacks, attempting to arm a bomb

-other team must defend from attackers

-round is won when either team is wiped out or the bomb goes boom

-tension is high, every kill and death counts, teamwork is a must - rage potential is damn high.

Seems simple enough right? BUT, if you're in party chat the game drags you from your safe haven of chums and chumettes into a public lobby. Yes, you will get to meet Call of Duty's finest here. 9 times out of 10 your sexuality, accent and location of your mother will be challenged by some right individuals as high levels of nerd rage and general twatishness reaches critical levels. Having said that, sometimes you will be lucky and get into a friendly lobby, but let's be honest, you probably won't, you will end up with a lobby filled with *drum roll*....                                              

 

Exhibit A

 

Yes, you can mute these people but that isn't why you play multiplayer now is it? What is a victory if you cannot reap it's spoils by wallowing in your opponents anguish....or in some cases kudos at your gaming abilities. Call of Duty started to satisfy this carnal hunger through game winning/round winning kill cams. But now, oh man they've hit the sweet spot! In Search and Destroy, upon killing an opponent you can hear their mic for the next 3-5 seconds. You hear the yelp, the scream, the most tastey nerd rage in it's purest form, something no other game on Xbox Live has been able to provide. I cannot begin the explain the satisfaction and smug ass feeling you will get from from the knee jerk reactions of your victims - so go do it!

Alas, Call of Duty has caught me off guard and in the process highlighted this little hidden gem they have given us. A raw connection with our opponents at the sweetest moment in gaming, our victory over them.

Could this hail a new start in multiplayer gaming where direct communication with opponents on the battlefield takes our participation as a gamer to deeper, more personal levels? Halo 3 started this trend on the 360 with the ability to talk to the opposing team at close range but sadly, the advent of party chat killed this off...is CoD bringing it back, have you seen this in other Xbox games?

 

Now go forth, brave the Search & Destroy lobbies and reap the rewards of your opponents parting squeal. Just remember though, fail to bring the A-Game and that little voice in the headset could well end up being you!

 

 

 

Hello Community!

 

Xbox live reached it's tenth birthday recently which has led to celebrations and jubilations aplenty. Xbox has even been sending out ultra special custom 360's to those whose XBL Gamertag has seen ten years of loyal service.

 

Aint she a beaut'

 

The tenth anniversary also brought with it a very bold and powerful statement from a man called Harold Ryan aka the almighty Bungie's studio manager - he claims that without Halo, Xbox and it's Live system wouldn't be what it is today, let's see the exact quote for you peeps to nom over:

"I think Xbox Live wouldn't have made it. I don't think the Xbox would be where it is today without Bungie and without Halo," and. "As a group, we provided both technical and creative guidance and thought leadership that really pushed the limits. We weren't just a game developer using the service. We were integrated in the design of the service and how it worked. Systems for groups and matchmaking and skill ranking were all things that were pushed the furthest and the hardest by us.”

 

And you know what, he's damn right in my opinion. It was the original Halo which turned me away from years of Playstation whoring into the Xbox player i am today, Halo's gameplay was unlike anything i'd seen on a console and when multiplayer was doing the rounds, well, it blew me away! I'm willing to bet Halo was the main attraction for millions of other players to which allowed it to gain it's much needed foothold as the new kid on the gaming block. What other franchise could of garnered such attention?? Exactly!

 

Xbox live now boasts over 40 million members, and you know what, a large part of that is down to Bungie and Halo - to deny that would be criminal.

 

BUNGIE, I SALUTE YOU!

Hello Community

 

Some of you keen eyed gamers out there may have noticed  a AAA title or two doing the rounds of late as we roflcopter into the festive season and towards the release of a new Devil May Cry game in january (Yay!) But what if you've Blop'd so hard you're exhausted of arcade style fps or chaffed from to much time with the Chief? Well.....

 

  

 

YES! This cheeky little piece will tell you about one of many games that arn't an FPS and offer any gamer worth their salt not only a unique experiance in gaming but an awesome one that is unlike any other game to grace the 360! Originally i was going to offer up the Devil May Cry HD collection for your consumption, seeing as they are some of my favourite games n all, along with Devil May Cry 4 and Bayonetta. Now you should totally check those games out as they are all sub £20 in the stores, but, today i will tell you about a game that will appeal to fps, thrid person and bullet hell fans alike. Today i will offer to you Vanquish.

 

      

(Platinum Games gave birth to this gem)

Vanquish is a fast paced Lightning paced bullet hell shooter in which you play as Sam Gilean, a Solid Snake-alike who used a jet powers battle suit to try and recapture an orbital weapons platform from a rogue Russian splinter cell who is threatening America. Now whilst the story premise may sound all to familiar that's where any "oh i know that" moments end. The story quickly ends up twisting more than a turkey twizzler and the gameplay will blow you away, if you can keep up with it!

You'll find yourself fighting humans, war mechs and enemies that scale from big, to badass to insanely huge using an arsenal of futuristic staples - rifle, shotty, sniper, lmg and a few more....snazzy guns! And if you run out of bullets you can rocket drop kick enemies to the face, no really.

 

The game comes with varying difficulties from laughable, to noob, challenging and maxes out at ridonkulous so there's something for everyone! The boss battles are varied and will keep you on your toes whilst the standard enemy battles are varied, giving the player differing ways to take on their foes in a linear game, something you wouldn't often see combined. In this game you will be zipping around at break neck speed whilst shooting, flying from cover to cover and leaping all over the giant enemies, no rest for the wicked here.

Once you've completed the main game you then get something called 'Challenge mode' which gives the player 6 unique scenarios in 6 different maps. These equate to some of the hardest rounds of gaming i have ever experianced, and i'm a pro sauced l33t peep!

 

Now i'll leave this teaser here with a few cheeky pictures as the best thing about Vanquish is discovering just how different and god damn amazing it is. This game has my personal seal of approval and i highly suggest picking it up, you can get it new for peanuts! (If these pictures don't get you going i highly suggest you youtube people playing this game, you'll realise what you're missing like a slap to the chops!)

 

These pictures alone do not give the game any justice, go get and break the cod/halo mold!

Until next time, peace out!

 

Gather round,

For i have a tale to tell, of those individuals and groups that inhabit the world of Xbox that make our experiance of gaming that bit more special and awesome - be it through in-game communities, video makers or those within the Xbox-verse who go that extra mile when it matters. So, stop by and you could find yourself stumbling accross something that will take your gaming to the next level! 

 

Now, without further delay let us begin as i introduce....

 

 

Battlefield UK Platoon

 

But who are Battlefield UK and why are they getting a spotlight? Well I came accross this group by accident whilst looking for the Official Battlefield page over on Facey-B. Little did i know that i had stumbled accross a large group of gamers built from the ground up by accident, with an idea that has since turned into a passion for those involved ; a place where us gamers can squad up with ease, make gaming mates and shoot stuff, all with added banter!

 

Recently i managed to snag the main man over at Battlefield UK (Jim, GT: jimB0X69) to bring you the heads up on who they are and what they represent; see below for the delicious fruits of our conversation; (post introduction style!)

 

Q. In a nutshell, what is Battlefield 3 UK:

A. The main thing it is about is community, with community being the most important point because Battlefield 3 is a game where you need a community or a wide group of friends where you can get a good game with you know.

 

Q. So would it be fair to say battlefield UK a clan then?

A. Well, when it first started i called it a clan but i was told off by the boys "Clan's are for cod!" so we call ourselves a platoon now, like a band of brothers, group of pals - you're not vetted, it's about playing with people you get on with.

 

Q. A Platoon it is then, what kind of players does the Battlefield UK Community look for in particular, if anything?

A. The thing is 'it' - gamers, finds us more than we find 'it', we've never formally advertised ourselves other than the odd link in the early days, it's all through word of mouth between gamers. Skill wise we're not a strict platoon, otherwise it'd take the fun out of the game for some people. They don't have to be the best player, we just like genuine people! We let people get as involved as they like, they can pop in whenever for a game or get stuck in and become part of the core group. But One thing we don't like is sulkers and super serious - We all have a bout of gamer rage after going 2-20 on a bad day and that's cool and that's part of the banter. But fun is the main objective and we don't want to sacrifice that - we play to win but it's not the be all and end all.

Q. So, we know a little bit about what the group is - but where, if any are your stomping grounds?

A. We've got two servers currently both set to hardcore but we do change these when we feel like it - the only rules we have are no intentional team killing and no spawn camping (which i admit is a bit of a grey area), everything else is fair game, they are fair servers compared to alot i've been on. You can find out servers by searching for "BattleField UK/HC" in the server browser and jump straight in!

 

Q. You have your own servers, very nice - how are these funded?

A. The servers are run by palpal donations, we've never asked for money towards it but alot of our regulars put some money towards it now and then, we never stockpile donations though and i have refused it if our server has alot of subscription left - i don't like holding donations, it's just not necessary. It's actually taken me back alot at people's generosity, i didn't think it'd be like this when i started the page ya know.

 

Q. Going forward then what can we expect from Battlefield UK?

A. Well i actually regret having the Uk on the end now because we actually have german, dutch and other european members - we're not exclusive to UK gamers only, anyone is welcome so we're expanding on that front. We've also started having friendly platoon matches, these are friendly matches that arn't super serious but are nice and competitive in a friendly atmosphere and happen every few weeks. We don't and can't compete with competitive clans who use military precision though, we tried that once and it weren't pretty. But...

 

Q. But...

A. Some of the group are competitive and want to get involved in that so we've got a part of the community that's just started called 'Battlefield UK Elites' which we're looking at sorting for the more competitive matches.

Q. And for those those that want to get involved and jump on some battlefield 3 with you guys where can they find you?

A. Our server names are: BattleField UK/HC , well search for that and they will both come up!
and our facebook is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Battlefield-3-UK-xbox/203382756353752?ref=ts&fref=ts - come jump in and get on the Battlefield!

 

 

So there you have it, a heads up from the man himself, the Platoon currently sits at over 400 members on facebook with a large core of regular players, so you'll never be without people to squad up with! But don't just take my word for it, here's some quotes i've ripped straight from their facebook page -

Clem -  "In short the platoon is the only reason I turn my mic on and I have never had so much pleasure in been shoot to bits, tea bagged, tagged and team killed in such a spectacular fashion as I do with BFUK."

Graham - "BFUK, A platoon of mature gamers who can be as serious or as silly as we want. Hey who want to eat, sleep and breath Battlefield, its only a game that we all use to release the stresses of day to day life. That said we still play to win. "

Aaron - "As the community grows we seem to have a really good platform to communicate and spread the word about any news. BFUK isn't just a platoon or clan , it is some peoples first stop to hear anything bf3 related. AND our members are renowened for knifing you for your tags."

Brett - "For me, I was never into online gaming before bfbc2, and even then I never used a mic, or teamed up with anyone. When bf3 came out I was determined to change that, but didn't know where to start in finding similarly minded folk to play with. I didn't fancy Internet forums, as they were too anonymous, and didn't fancy hooking up with anyone who would be too serious either. I did however have Facebook; and there it was: Battlefield 3 UK XBOX"

 

Heck, pop on at the right time and you could even find yourself starring in a youtube video alongside the platoon with members such as "BuLLMaStiFF115" regularly recording games alongside "Badman Babba" to showcase and imortalise the platoon's adventures for maximum banter! (Check these guys out on youtube, you know the drill!)

THIS COULD BE YOU!

 

There's so much more i could tell you about the group, but you know what, go find out for yourselves - jump in and get involved. I've had the pleasure of playing with these guys long before they knew i wrote for the site. Within hours of posting on their wall as a new member two of the lads has added me and i was on their server having a hell of a time, no vetting, no questions - a big thumbs up from me. These guys give Battlefield 3 players a place to make friends, squad up and get as involved and deep as you want to, the ideal community in my opinion.

 

SO, what are you all waiting for, check them out, give them a like and GET INVOLVED!

 

Main platoon (play for fun, play to win)

http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/platoon/2832655391571279841/

Match platoon (for the competitive, take your position in the squad, destroy the opposition)

http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/platoon/2832655391795982172/

 

The Hub and Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Battlefield-3-UK-xbox/203382756353752?fref=ts

 

Thanks for checking out this community spotlight, see you next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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