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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Review: Masterful Multiplayer vs. A Disastrous Campaign

Black Ops 7 Review: Masterful or Disastrous?

The Mixed Review: A Tale of Three Modes The Good: Multiplayer & Zombies Shine Critics from IGN and The Guardian agree: if you are here for the “sweat,” Black Ops 7 delivers. The Bad: The “Warzone-ified” Campaign This is where the game loses its footing, especially for the UK’s massive single-player audience. In a controversial move, the campaign is Online-Only and designed primarily for 4-player co-op. The Verdict: Black Ops 7 is a maximalist package that feels like a “Warzone expansion” disguised as a £70 premium title. If you live for the camo grind and high-octane Zombies, it’s a hoot. If you’re a single-player fan looking for a cinematic story, you might want to wait for a deep sale on the PlayStation Store or Xbox Marketplace. The Best Way to Play: ? [Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – Cross-Gen Bundle] The Competitive Edge: ? [Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller / PS5 DualSense Edge] The Audio Advantage: ? [SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless Headset] Protect Your Console: ? [Internal SSD Expansion for PS5/Xbox (2TB)]

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Is Blue Box Actually Kojima? The Viral Conspiracy Explained

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of Blue Box Game Studios, Hideo Kojima and Silent Hills, let me take you back to late 2012… Gangnam Style was still in the charts, Django Unchained had just dropped in cinemas and cryptocurrency was still just a weird obscure thing that only sweaty nerds your paranoid uncle cared about. Then, – completely out of nowhere, – a trailer appears on the internet teasing a new trippy-looking game called The Phantom Pain. It is from a developer that nobody has ever heard of called Moby Dick Studios with some weird dude covered in bandages called Joakim Mogren at the helm. The code-cracking began in YouTube comments and on gaming subreddits. The conspiracy unfolded and eventually it turned out to to be a complex hoax that led to the unveiling of Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Then, a few years later, Kojima does the same thing again when he releases the red herring that was the P.T demo, which wound up being a “playable teaser” for the much anticipated, (sadly since cancelled,) Silent Hills. Could the same thing be happening once again with the upcoming PS5 exclusive Abandoned from unknown devs, BLUE BOX Game Studios? Could this title actually turn out to be the long-awaited resurrection of Silent Hills? Because it’s either that or a very clever marketing strategy from a small-time developer riding the Silent Hills hype train to promote their title. Either way, there are too many parallels that can be drawn for this whole thing to be a coincidence. Don your tinfoil hat and join me friends as we head down the rabbit hole together. I hope you all have your whiteboards and string at the ready, as I am about to blow your mind. Part 1: Previously unheard of developer BLUE BOX Game Studios announces ‘Abandoned’ On the 7th of April 2021, a post by Hasan Kahraman appears on the PlayStation Blog unveiling a teaser for a PS5 exclusive, first-person survival horror game titled; Abandoned. Kahraman is the Game Director at BLUE BOX Game Studios. The sleuths over on Reddit have since pointed out that if you go to the 49 second mark in the video above, you will see the image below showing writing on an outside wall that reads; “Kill The Trespassers.” A tree blocks a couple of letters of the text. Those letters being blocked just so happen to be “T” and “P,” or PT. Other than that though, upon first glance, the post appeared to be just like any other PlayStation Blog post announcing a new title. These kinds of posts certainly aren’t rare on the blog and initially nobody paid much attention to the post other than some negative reactions criticizing the amateur sounding VO work and the complaining about the poor frame rate. A few months down the line, BLUE BOX Game Studios announce that Abandoned will receive its very own PS5 app which will allow gamers to watch the game’s trailers in real time on their PS5 console. This is a notably odd thing for a studio to implement and it is certainly not something that is normally done by first-party PlayStation Studios whilst promoting their upcoming game. Therefore, this strange announcement left more than a few people wondering why this small, unknown game studio are the first to pioneer this marketing strategy. The app was initially slated to go live this Sunday on the 20th of June. However, another tweet from the developer states that the app will in fact go live on the 22nd of June. This date is probably the correct one as it is a Tuesday, which is normally the day that new games and apps go up on the PlayStation Store. Part 2: Why this could actually be Kojima leading up to the announcement of Silent Hills Shall we go deeper down the rabbit hole? A couple of days ago BLUE BOX Game Studios Twitter account posts a tweet suggesting that “Abandoned” isn’t actually the title of their game. They tease fans to “Guess the name, which begins with an S and ends with an L. This tweet perks up the ears of gaming conspiracy theorists all over the internet rumours start that Gaming’s God Of Mischief himself, Hideo Kojima is in fact behind this account and this title and Abandoned is yet another ruse concocted to lead up to the re-announcement of Silent Hills. The developer panics and quickly back-tracks to shut down any rumours that may have started based on this tweet. This back-pedalling only becomes more frequent over the next day in comment sections etc. This inevitably leads to the Streisand effect taking place and more people across the internet begin to take notice. In a later tweet, the developer refers to “Abandoned” in quotation marks, further suggesting that Abandoned is not the true title of the game. In yet another tweet, they confirm that Abandoned is simply a working title for the project. In another, it is stated that teaser that dropped back in April was only ever intended to be an announcement that the game was in development and that “the game itself has never been shown.” If we look again at the game’s title, the choice to use the word, “Abandoned,” could also be a reference to how Silent Hills and by extension Kojima were abandoned by Konami seven years ago. If this false project is actually an elaborate tease for Kojima Productions to eventually announce that they are in fact returning to work on Silent Hills, then Abandoned would a very apt working title under which to restart development on the game. Are you still with me? Because this is still just the tip of the iceberg. Part 3: You Wanna Get Nuts? Let’s Get Nuts! Strap in Alice, because we are past the point of no return. We shall begin with the logo for BLUE BOX Game Studios. Look familiar? That is because it is pretty much the exact same as the PlayStation Studios logo, right down to the font. Another parallel that can be drawn, is how the

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Review – Blacksad: Under The Skin

Blacksad: Under The Skin is a detective adventure game by Pendulo Studios, based off of an ongoing comic series of the same titular name by Juan Díaz Canales & Juanjo Guarnido. Think the gritty realism of LA Noire meeting the charm and anthropomorphic style of Sly Cooper. Released in November, 2019 Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Classic Mac OS SUMMARY The stage is set, Bobby Yale VS the reigning champ Al Stone in a boxing match at Madison Square Garden! However, the shocking discovery of a beloved gym coach’s apparent suicide has put the match and industry in jeopardy. It’s up to private investigator John Blacksad to peel back the layers of chicanery and monkeyshines to reveal what’s Under The Skin. STORY Set against a backdrop of New York; the concrete jungle wet dream tomato (or whatever Alicia Keys said), you’ll find all manner of anthropomorphic animals from all walks of life, more often than not carefully reflecting stereotypes of the real world with exceptional voice acting and beautiful animation. Our titular character, Blacksad, is everything a crime solving cat should be; smooth, witty, handsome and a big ol’ softie or a brooding nihilist depending on how he’s feeling (or how you decide to play). A sultry silken voiceover by Barry Johnson combined with a stoically calm demeanour makes this character the coolest cat in town. The story is overly typical of your favourite noir and whodunnit stories and that’s never a bad thing. They’re always so much fun to unravel and solve, especially in this case with a wide variety of possible suspects and motives. I’ve yet to replay the game to try and invert my statistics so I am unaware if said inversion of my results will award me with an alternate ending, it looks promising though! GAMEPLAY As with any good detective game, you’ll be searching for clues and asking questions to solve a crime and Blacksad: Under The Skin is no different. It’s closest comparison is Rockstar’s LA Noire with some deviations, both good and bad. What separates this game from the pack is its logistical and varied mechanics, including an actual solving window where you combine the information you’ve collected to connect the dots. As a smooth-talking feline, your wits will only get you so far before you need to put your cat-like reflexes and enhanced senses to the test with slow motion hot spot scenes and QT events. As well as the primal tools of a cat, Blacksad never leaves his office without his trusty lockpick. On top of this, your quickdraw decisions and emotional connections to each character have consequences and this allows for an inclusive experience that demands your attention. The game is forgiving enough of your mistakes – if you don’t mind seeing your beloved Blacksad die in a variety of painfully callous game over scenarios, but some mistakes will stick with you forever. A problem with the game however, is that is riddled with bugs, and not the buzzing anthropomorphic kind. I initially put the game down months ago because the flow and my progress were interrupted several times by crashes. Upon returning to the game, those issues have mostly subsided but there are still fuzzy textures and choppy frame rates that could break the immersion. Alas, it’s part of the wider issue of releasing games before they are completely bug-tested. OVERALL In conclusion, Blacksad: Under The Skin is a gem of a noir detective story set in a coffee stained New York jungle full of interesting and likeable animals. With an initial playtime of 7-9 hours and the addition of replayability, there is more than enough gameplay to enjoy here. If it weren’t for the multiple bugs, especially of the game breaking variety, this game would be a cult classic masterpiece. Until such time as the developers continue to fix said bugs, I would say wait for a final update or discounted price. If you have an itch for a unique and engaging interactive noir story however, I suggest you have a scratch at this to once more with a brooding voice, reveal what’s Under The Skin. [yasr_multiset setid=5] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=5] Let us know your thoughts on Blacksad: Under The Skin, your thoughts on the original comic series and what your favourite noir and whodunnit stories are! If you enjoyed our Blacksad: Under The Skin Review, you can check out what we thought of Cyberpunk: 2077 here. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – Spyro Reignited Remake

Review – Spyro Reignited Remake Developer: Toys for Bob Publisher: Activision Genre: Platform Director: Dan Neil Release Date: 13/11/18 Is Spyro, everyone’s favourite purple dragon, worth revisiting? Think back to the heady days of the Playstation One and the times when you found yourself staring in open delight at what was the very pinnacle of technology for the time. All these memories of angular lines, of horrendously low polygon count and of grainy visuals and audio meant nothing at the time. This was as good as it got. It seemed impossible to ever imagine that it could get better. Plenty of us have series from the era that we poured hours into and hold a special place in our hearts. Smashing boxes and spinning to win with Crash, swapping discs in FFVII and marvelling at how big a game could be or knocking on walls as Solid Snake – there will be an example for most of a *cough* certain age. Maybe the image of Spyro and his egg and gem collecting antics might be the one that triggers happy memories for a few. Chasing down these blue thieves? Sparx being oddly infuriating? How about searching an area over and over again for the elusive last few collectibles : – there is no denying that there was plenty to enjoy. With all three games in the series having being reworked and reimagined in a collection for modern consoles, is it worth your time and money to replay or will the rose-coloured glasses of nostalgia trick you into parting with your hard earned cash? Read on to find out. Overview What are you actually getting for your money here? You not only get the updated version of the original Spyro, you also get the sequel “Ripto’s Rage” and “Year of the Dragon”, the third instalment. When Reignited loads, the three games are displayed for each save file alongside progress in percentage completion so it’s easy to hop from one to another and keep an eye on how you’re getting on. Published by Activision and developed by Toys for Bob and Insomniac Games, what you can expect overall is a cleaner, more streamlined and modernised version of all three games suitable for the current era. While all the voice lines and animations have been re-done, the level layouts, the mechanics and the characters are all faithful to the spirit of the original and make for a pleasant trip down memory lane. Issues No game is perfect, but before we get to what makes this offering excellent, it’s only fair to point out a few of the problems that it has. While there is a lot to admire, some of the issues from the original series have carried over. Take the flying levels for example. Arguably one of the harder challenges in the game, some negative aspects of the original series have bled through. While the controls for Spyro on the ground around the levels feel tight and responsive, they are suddenly “heavy” in flight. In the part of the experience that most emphasises the 3D space that you are in, it is as though you have the least control. I did encounter one major problem on my playthrough. Issues can be subjective (people reporting “odd” animation styles), but this one was fairly annoying. Progressing gradually through the game with my partner, we loaded it up one day to find our progress rolled back significantly with no method of recovery available. This issue affected many and no real solution ever found. When I say substantial, I mean going from 100% completion in one game and ~50% in the second to 75% in the first only. Luckily, this only happened the once, but it was a little worrying to cover all that ground again, always concerned that the game would simply wipe the progress at some point without any warning. Positives That being said, there is a lot to admire here. Ironing out some of the more egregious glitches from the original series is a positive (although speedrunners have found new ones to replace them, as they do). These new graphics overall feel close enough to the original to seem familiar without being jarring and it is simply a faithful upgrade by people who clearly felt a lot of love for the series in general. The game audio has had a revamp too, and a notable one. The tracks sound excellent, having been cleaned up and brought to a modern standard. As with the original, former Police drummer Stewart Copeland (yes, really) was brought back on board to oversee composition and his work remains as iconic as ever. All voice lines have been re-recorded to a high standard and the gameplay is every bit as engaging as it ever was. Spyro has always scratched that completionist itch for a lot of players and this still holds up to this day. Seeing your progress tick up is every bit as enjoyable as ever and it keeps you coming back for more. The refined mechanics make even the levels that felt difficult in childhood enjoyable. No more flashbacks to endless loops of “Trouble with the Trolley” and nearly breaking your only controller trying to get all the flying objectives in a single run. All that was enjoyable is here and better. Conclusion Whether you’re just looking to relive some memories or if you’ve never played the series before, it is a great way to get into it whether for the first time in years or the first time ever. The intervening years have not cost Spyro any of his appeal. In fact, a lot of it has improved. Three games for a single purchase? The answer as to whether it is worth the price of admission is a resounding yes. [yasr_multiset setid=5] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=5] If you enjoyed our review of Spyro Reignited Remake, you can check out our review for Retro Machina here. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY

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Review – God of War: Fallen God #1

Review – God of War: Fallen God #1 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Writer: Chris Roberson Artist: Tony Parker Colourist: Dan Jackson Letterer: Jimmy Betancourt Release Date: March 2021 I loved the recent God of War game on PS4, so I was eager to read #1 of God of War: Fallen God for review. The book is intended to fill in the gap following God of War 3, which saw Kratos kill the last of the Greek gods, ending with Zeus. When we pick back up with the Ghost of Sparta in God of War 2018, he is now in Midgard and battling gods and deities from Norse mythology. The Fallen God series is intended to fill the audience in on how exactly Kratos got from Olympus to Midgard. This first issue picks up shortly after the end of God of War 3 and the first half of the issue sees Kratos attempting to get rid of his Blades of Chaos to no avail. They seem to have an omnipresent hold over him and follow him wherever he goes. It works as a fairly blatant personification of his past not letting him go and constantly catching up with him. The second half of the issue follows Kratos getting further and further away from Mount Olympus and starting to hallucinate due to a lack of rest. These hallucinations consist of animals speaking to him in order to remind him that he can’t outrun destiny. This carries on until a shattered Kratos finally collapses at the end of the issue. This isn’t a first issue that contains a lot of action; in fact it contains no real action scenes whatsoever. I understand that the writers are attempting to take Kratos from the impulsive, super angry dude that we followed in the first three God of War games to the more contemplative, sombre version we see in God of War 2018. However, the idea that he goes immediately from an action packed god-killing adventure directly into this slow travellers tale is somewhat of an anti-climax. I don’t mind a slow burn, but when you’ve just come directly from the exciting climactic cutscene and the end of God of War 3 and go straight into this, it’s a fairly big step down. I was expecting to see a more violent Kratos in the first few issues that would slowly turn into the more circumspect and mature version of the character we see in God of War 2018. Instead Chris Roberson delivers a weird disconnect from the way that the character was written in the game that took place immediately before this issue chronologically. Also, a first issue is supposed to grab new readers and get them excited and onboard for what’s to come. A slow actionless issue such as this usually comes at around issue 4 or 5. Starting the series off with a slow-paced issue like this isn’t a great way to get new fans onboard. Additionally, if anyone happens to pick up this book that doesn’t happen to already be familiar with God of War lore, then all that you are going to take away from this is a boring 20 pages of a guy wandering the desert and slowly going mad. The art is decent though, Tony Parker’s pencils and inks manage to capture the look and feel of the landscapes that we see in the earlier God of War games and Kratos is drawn accurately as well. There aren’t any stand out pages that come to mind that really left me awestruck though, but every panel is perfectly serviceable. The colours are nice enough and the lettering is decent but again, nothing mind-blowing. Overall, I am pretty disappointed after reading the first issue of God of War: Fallen God for review. Not enough engaging elements are present to really hook the reader. It takes a lot to make a character like Kratos boring, yet somehow Chris Roberson has managed it here. This is one to skip whether you are a God of War aficionado or not, hopefully the series will pick up a bit as it progresses.

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Review - Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima Review: The Ultimate Samurai Masterpiece

Review: Ghost of Tsushima – The Ultimate Samurai Masterpiece Released in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima is a PlayStation exclusive from Sucker Punch Productions. This third-person open-world game takes place in 13th-century Japan. You play as the samurai Jin Sakai. Your mission is to free the island of Tsushima from Mongol invaders. On the surface, the gameplay feels like a standard action title. It reminds me more of early Assassin’s Creed games than The Last of Us. The game gives you total freedom. You can fight as an honorable samurai or use stealth as the “Ghost.” A Rich World and a Simple Story The story balances a complex world with a simple, easy-to-follow plot. You clear out the Mongols and save your uncle. The writers took heavy inspiration from classic Japanese cinema. This makes the game feel familiar and epic. The side quests add the most depth to the narrative. These missions feel meaningful. They are far better than standard fetch quests. You support allies who stay with you throughout the campaign. I personally loved hunting the wayward archer and seeking vengeance for a fallen samurai house. The Island as a Living Character The island of Tsushima itself is the real star. The game is stunningly gorgeous. It features diverse terrain and beautiful vistas. Sucker Punch avoids cluttering the map with too many icons. The island is Jin’s home. It acts like a character in the story. At times, it is peaceful. At other times, it is a warzone ravaged by fire. By the end, I felt truly invested in the island’s future. I recommend playing with Japanese audio and English subtitles for the best experience. Mastering the Way of the Samurai Sucker Punch removed the morality system found in their Infamous games. This was a smart choice. It allows the story to stay focused on a specific path. However, the game still makes you feel the weight of your choices. It feels “dishonorable” to use stealth at first. The world is much bigger than I expected. The map stays fogged until you explore it. I was shocked to find two more massive sections after “finishing” the first island. This discovery was a very pleasant surprise. The swordplay is fluid and satisfying. You can master different sword stances and secondary weapons. The samurai showdowns are beautiful and brutal. The animations look fantastic even after forty hours of play. You can also choose the “Lethal” difficulty for a more realistic challenge. Final Verdict: A PlayStation Jewel Ghost of Tsushima is a jewel in Sony’s first-party crown. It is a massive reason to own a PlayStation. It belongs in the same conversation as God of War and Spider-Man. It is the samurai game many of us have wanted for years. Jin Sakai’s journey to becoming the Ghost is tragic and exciting. I will not soon forget this character. I hope Sucker Punch is already working on a sequel for the PS5. If you love open-world action, you must play this game.   If you love gaming and pop culture, don’t miss our upcoming shows

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