Player Preview - Edge of Space

Title: Edge of Space
Developer: Handyman Studios
Release Date: 17/Sept/2015

Official Site: http://bit.ly/1FmROBF
Steam Page: http://bit.ly/1F8drpE

Hey what’s up, Serpentine here taking a look at the 2D Survival Sandbox game, Edge of Space, developed by Handyman Studios. After crash landing on an unknown planet you’ll have to build up a base and craft weapons and armour to survive the harsh environment.

Edge of Space falls into the same category as other similar games like Terraria and Star Bound carrying over between them all very similar main game mechanics. Most of your time spent in the game will be mining and building with the same kind of foreground and background layers to manipulate. The mining is pretty stock standard with a basic laser to mine a 1x1 area at a time, later on you can craft alternate mining lasers that have a sort of balance to them for instance 1 mining laser can mine materials from a fair distance away but slowly while another can mine a bigger area but is restricted to a shorter distance. I will say that mining the background can be a little annoying as it requires an empty block to start mining so you can be down in a mine and come across a vein of valuable materials but you would have to mine the background all the way from the top to reach it.

The building in Edge of Space is the same kinda thing only you can place some more interesting construction pieces via crafting along with quite a bit of decorative craftables as well including lab equipment, kitchen gear and more. On the functional side of building, the stuff with purpose, there are multiple crafting benches, each dedicated to crafting certain equipment like the Cloning Tank for crafting mounts and pets, and the Computerized Assembly Workshop for more advanced technologies. Some of the more interesting machines you can build include the skiff pad that when coupled with rare data entries will gain you access to some of the games bosses and dungeons. Once activated you will be able to attempt the dungeon or boss for a limited amount of time before it expires. Another interesting building mechanic or more of a power management mechanic is setting up electricity loops to power things like lights, doors and the skiff pad. You are given numerous different gates and logic blocks to work with, allowing you to create some pretty crazy power set-ups however while it is a pretty complex system there aren’t many uses for it outside of automatically opening doors or turning a light off and on.

 

On the combat side of things you have numerous types and styles of guns as well as swords if you feel like getting up close and personal. For the types of weapon you have sniper rifles, assault rifles, shotguns, lasers and beam weaponry. The style of weapon is divided into 3 different groups that you can research with projectile based weapons that are explosive and are the only weapons that require ammo to use, energy based weapons that take environment energies and weaponizes it and finally phase weapons that basically act as laser weaponry. Due to the research requirements for each weapon style in the knowledge tree its best to focus on only one so you can get to the really good stuff faster rather than spreading your experience points between them all. The same is true for your armour as there are also 3 styles of armour with fighter armour, explorer armour and builder armour, each set giving you extra bonuses in their respective areas.

 

The aim of the game outside of the usual sandbox, do whatever you want style, is an overarching goal of going deeper into the planet’s surface. The further you get the more dangerous the environment becomes so you will have to be prepared for it. Luckily the game offers a limit to how deep you can go via an exposure level that is indicated by this line. The lines position is dependent on your armours stats, moving further down the higher tier armour you have equipped. Going past this line, your exposure level will slowly rise and once you are fully exposed you will start losing health so it’s not really possible to get much further than the line. Basically everything above the exposure line you will be able to deal with in one way or another. If you do end up dying it’s actually not too bad as you don’t lose anything on death and are teleported to your bases cryopod to continue on your journey. Outside of the game main goal there are some side missions provided to you by NPC’s found around the world or in your base like this laser shark. Once you complete the NPC’s side missions you will be able to recruit them to defend your base which is important later on when you’re further down in the world with more aggressive mobs. There is also a billboard that provides random quests for you to complete for rewards that refreshes every so often. Lastly there are just random events like zombie hives and crab clusters that you will have to clear out and then destroy with explosives.

 

Other features of the game include single player, multiplayer and Co-Op play modes with the game quite obviously designed for Co-Op play more than anything else. While the game is fully playable in single player and multiplayer, the different weapon and armour styles are better tailored to a team of 2 or 3 working together and utilizing all the different equipment plus it will make completing the games objectives a lot easier. To go online for the multiplayer you will have to have the server details to input as the game doesn’t have a server browser so you will have to go looking for an open server to play on.

Altogether Edge of Space is the kind of game that you zone out to and just chill while slowly working towards a variety of different goals depending on your play style weather that be building up numerous basses, clearing out dungeons or just attempting to go deeper into the planets interior. Once you have set yourself a goal time can go very quickly while playing this game. It can be a little bit grindy at times however if you are playing with others it will be significantly faster to get things done. If you’re after a game similar to Terraria or Star bound that you can unwind too then Edge of Space is worth a look. 

Anyway, that’s been my player preview for Edge of Space. The game is officially released on the 17^th of September and is available to purchase on Steam for $13 or your regional equivalent. If you want to find out more about the game check out the links below. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you guys next time.

Player Preview - 12 Is Better Than 6

Title: 12 Is Better Than 6

Developer: Ink Stain Games

Status: Demo

Release Date: March 2016

Official Site: http://bit.ly/1XTxIoJ

Kickstarter Page: http://kck.st/1VRJXjO

Hey what’s up, Serpentine here taking a look at the top down Western Shooter, 12 is better than 6, the first game developed by Ink Stain Studios. You take on the role as a Mexican ex-slave running from the law and attempting to make a new life for himself, killing anyone that gets in his way because in the west it’s better to go to jail for murder than be the one murdered.

12 is better than 6 is probably best explained as a western Hotline Miami with more focus on weapon mechanics and not so much gore. You’ll only have your trusty knife at the start of each level to take on the bandits and sheriff departments officers that roam the countryside. It’s best to try and complete the level only using the knife as using a gun that you’ve picked up from an enemy can attract nearby enemies to your location. In some of the levels it’s even made impossible for you to use guns due to numerous watch towers scattered around the level that only detect you if there is gun fire and once detected will kill you almost straight away once you step outside if not outside already. As soon as the tower guards are alerted by the gunfire there is no way to divert their attention or to take them out so it’s basically a game over state. In the levels that you can use guns there are a couple to play around with like the Revolver, the double barreled shotgun and the long neck rifle. Instead of just aiming the gun and firing, these guns will also require you to click the right mouse button to cock the weapon, preparing it to be fired. This is required for all the guns in the game and prevents you from going on a crazy shootout, unloading bullets everywhere. Instead you will have to make sure there are no nearby enemies or if there are, that you have gotten the cock and fire mechanics down. This leads to some pretty crazy moments in the game were you are furiously clicking trying to cock and fire your weapon as fast as possible only to continuously fire an un-cocked weapon before getting shot down.

The levels in the game along with the camera position are a lot more closed in and compact compared to the camera and levels in Hotline Miami. There is somewhat a reason for this with the limited sight range acting as a limit to your weapons effectiveness range. The only exception to this being the long neck rifle which can move the camera while aiming to give you a better effective weapon range but that is only available on the rifle. The camera being so zoomed in does have some disadvantages though for instance you can’t really get a good overview of your current situation. Enemies can just be off screen and still notice you and start firing without you even seeing them. It seems the developers know this and try to remedy it with congested levels that have quite a bit of cover or multiple ways to enter and exit buildings. There are some moments in the game were you will be blindly firing off screen in the general direction of enemy fire like in this chapel level and I think the game might benefit from having the camera zoomed out just a little bit more with some other mechanic to limit some of the guns effective ranges.

 The art style as you have probably noticed is quite striking in a simple way being a kind of hand drawn on paper style. The only source of any actual colour is the red of a downed enemy’s blood or your own. It does make it hard however to distinguish friendly from foe but luckily there is no friendly fire. Even with its simplistic style though the game manages to put some life into the environment with moving elements and wild animals while also being surprisingly detailed. The soundtrack to the game already is fantastic being an upbeat mix between rock and country that suits the game perfectly.

Other features of the game planned to be implemented further in development will include more guns to pick up and use against enemies. There will also be an upgrade system that will include things like armour that can deflect bullets, silent stealth kills, extreme accuracy with weapons and more. If the game meets some of its higher up kick-starter goals a PvP mode and Co-Op mode will also be added to the game.

Altogether 12 is better than 6 is an intriguing game that with a little bit more time in development and maybe some slight design changes could be a really good game. At the moment I feel that either the camera needs to be zoomed out a little so as not to have those blind firing situations or the level designs are going to have to go through a lot of refining to prevent such situations. The story is interesting and the guns unique mechanics add a nice touch to the game. If you enjoyed Hotline Miami but are more interested in stealth combat or rather a less spray and pray style, then 12 is better than 6 may interest you.

Anyway, that’s been my player preview for 12 is better than 6. The game is currently running a kick-starter campaign with a little over 20 days to go and will be releasing on PC, Mac and Linux sometime in March 2016. You can try out a short demo of the game via their Kickstarter page and if you want to find out more about the game check out the links below. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you guys next time.

Player Preview - Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Title: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Developer: Treyarch
Status: Open Beta
Release Date: 6/November/2015

Official Site: http://bit.ly/1UBiQfv
Steam Page: http://bit.ly/1OcOPxF

Hey what’s up, Serpentine here taking a look at the multiplayer portion of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 developed by Treyarch. The series continues its setting in the near future with robotics and advanced weaponry with Black Ops 3 containing a couple of changes with new movement mechanics and the introduction of classes.

The classes aren’t the kind you would find in something like Battlefield or Team Fortress 2 were each class is locked to a certain loadout. Instead in Black Ops 3 the class that you pick only effects your special ability and each class has the option between 1 weapon ability or 1 utility ability. For example the Sharpshooter has an explosive arrow firing bow as her weapon and an enemy revealing pulse as her utility. These special abilities slowly recharge during the game enabling you to use them around twice a game however by using a certain perk this can be increase to around 4 times a match. There will be a total of 9 different classes available to play on release resulting in 18 different abilities that you can play around with. The most impressive abilities during the beta though definitely has to include the Outriders Bow because for some reason bows always feel good to use in these kinds of game plus the explosion is a nice little addition, and for the utility, Prophet has this one down with Glitch which allows you to teleport back to where you were a couple of seconds ago allowing you to get out of tricky situations or lead enemies into a trap.

 

Movement has been becoming more and more of a focus in the Call of Duty series and this time around there are a couple of new mechanics to help you get around the map faster and better. Wall running is by far the most noticeable change allowing you to get some height on your enemies or to avoid hotspots on the map like this bridge. The feature is implemented pretty solidly in terms of its usability, just jump into the side of a wall and you will attach and continue on your way. Most of the main walls you can run will be clearly indicated but after playing a map for a while you will find smaller lengths of walls that will give you that tactical height advantage as your enemies will expect you to come around a corner at floor level rather than a meter or 2 in the air. 

 

The other movement mechanic is the slide and is arguably the more important mechanic of the two to get a hang of. While wall running gives you height you are a pretty easy target with a predictable movement direction but with the slide it’s basically allowing players to dolphin dive while still moving extremely fast. Mastering this with the shotgun can be devastating and can confuse enemies when 1 second your standing in front of them and the next you are now firing at them from behind as you’ve slid straight past them. It also makes for a great way to cross open areas so you’re not such an easy target which is extremely important as you die extremely quickly once in an opponent’s sights.

Due to the extremely fast paced nature of Black Ops 3 non structured or non-objective based game modes are extremely chaotic and not it the good way. For instance in Team Deathmatch, while you are spawned into the game at opposite sides of the map you can get to the other side in a matter of seconds resulting in you constantly getting shot at from behind. The spawns in Team Deathmatch also change to prevent spawn camping but this also adds onto the problem of being shot from behind. This problem is somewhat corrected in the more objective based game modes like Search and Destroy and SafeGuard. Search and Destroy manages to slow the game down the game quite a bit due to the mode being 1 death and you’re out for the round. Safeguard however has continuous spawns as you try to either escort the robot to the point or prevent the robot from getting to the point but the gamemode plays so much better then Team Death Match while still maintaining that chaos factor. Safeguard was definitely my favourite mode of the beta providing really intense closing moments of the round as each team desperately fights for the win with the robot only a couple meters away from the point.

 

The available arsenal in Black Ops 3 while being slightly futuristic, still have the general form as weapons of today like the ark-7 is a futuristic AK-47, Kuda is a UMP and the Drakon is a Drakanov. Being set in a futuristic setting I would have liked to see more unique weapon designs and weapon mechanics however this seems to only be reserved for your characters special weapons and kill streaks. The different attachments for your weapons are all a bit the same as previous games in the series with basic scopes, grips and stocks that all effect your weapons stats. As for grenades there isn’t anything to innovative here either, you can equip both a damaging grenade like a frag, sticky or proximity mine and a utility grenade like a flashbang, concussion or EMP grenade. Equipping weapons, attachments, grenades and perks take up 1 slot each in the return of the 10 slot system were you can only have 10 items equipped at once so you will have to decide whether you want to run a full weapon accuracy set-up for instance or a multi primary and multi grenade set-up instead of being able to just have the best loadout your level can achieve.

Other features of the game include multiple customization options for your weapons, profile and tags. The most important customization feature being the paintshop, here you will be able to play around with different graphics, colours and gradients to customize the look of certain parts of your weapon. You will also be able to share your designs with others and use other player’s designs yourself. The gunsmith feature in the game will allow you to customize the physical appearance of your weapons via cosmetic variations of the weapons attachments which is rumoured to have 4 to 5 variants of each separate attatchment. You will also be able to name your weapon, apply your custom paint jobs and apply a camo for the parts of the weapon that the paint job doesn’t cover. As for your profile customization options you can create your own emblem or logo out of the same graphics, colours and gradients available in the paint shop feature. The end result will be displayed on your player card as well as being overlayed on your chosen calling card when you kill someone. Your calling card being a set graphic design that you select out of a big list. There is one final tab on this customization screen simply labelled classified but this maybe just the sharing feature for the paintshop.

 

Altogether Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 does do some interesting changes with the movement system and introduction of classes albeit in a small way. The game is extremely fast paced delving into the twitch shooter genre far more than any previous Call of Duty title before it but I feel the game is struggling with the combination of speed and movement while still trying to maintain its close quarters combat, something that another game called Titanfall managed to do a lot better. If you are looking for that kind of mix between open areas that you can move freely in and small enclosed spaces then Black Ops 3 may be of interest to you but if you are expecting a futuristic shooter with a unique arsenal to play around with, it doesn’t really offer that despite being based in the future.

Anyway, that’s been my player preview for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. The game will be officially releasing on the 6^th of November for $60 or your regional equivalent. If you want to find out more about the game check out the links below. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you guys next time.