Demo • QSF5

20 Jul 2014

Checkpoint: Betas & Demos Edition

by No_Style | posted in: Editorials & Features | 0

I mentioned my weekend plans which included the Destiny Beta and a buddy remarked that I all I ever play these days are betas and demos. He knew of my fascination with FIFA 14 demo already and if you consider Battlefield 4 in “beta” stage, then he would be right. It’s all betas & demos for me.

I don’t know how much time I’ll invest in the Destiny Beta. I don’t want to burn out on it and seeing how it’s still pretty much the Old Russia region from the alpha, that could happen.

But before spending time with these fine incomplete products, I decided to go furniture shopping. My expensive taste lead me towards a very expensive bedroom set. Unfortunately my barter skill only got me so far and thus I walked away with disappointment. The hunt continues!

Since my Japan trip plans were squashed earlier this week, I intend on furnishing my bedroom by the end of September. It may not be as glamorous as a trip but I’ll feel like I did something with those funds.

6 Jul 2014

Checkpoint: FIFA 14 Demo Edition

by No_Style | posted in: Editorials & Features | 0

My enthusiasm for the 2014 World Cup reached new heights with me downloading and playing the FIFA 14 demo on both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. I think I put in a total of 4 hours into that demo. The only reason why I’m not playing it more at the moment is because the short matches are frustrating me.

I kept playing it because I was curious. There’s a surprising amount of depth in FIFA and it’s not as easy to pick up and play as I thought it would be. There’s more finesse and care required than with the other sports games that I’ve played in the past. I couldn’t just pick up and play which is a bit of a problem in my books.

I was still impressed with what I played though. FIFA 14 does an admirable job mimicking real life soccer. It doesn’t look as off as NFL or NBA. It’s up there with EA’s NHL games which isn’t surprising considering they’re both developed by EA Canada.

With FIFA 15 just around the corner, it doesn’t make much sense for me to invest in last year’s game. Plus, it’s the first release for the new generation of consoles (I think it should look substantially better). Paying $69.99 is a high price though, so I won’t be there on day one without some kind of sale.

So does this mean that I’m a fan of soccer? I’ll try to catch some European soccer when I can. Maybe I’ll give MLS a try too? Who knows? This might be a temporary thing and it will all fizzle out after the final World Cup match.

—

I’m still making my way through Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD. I’m still not a fan of the segmentation but hey, it does give me natural stopping points.

I’ve also been playing Battlefield 4 multiplayer and enjoying the fun times with GAF folks.

15 May 2014

The future of real-time physics

by No_Style | posted in: Technology News | 0

Below you will find a video demonstrating real-time physics simulations running on a NVIDIA Geforce GTX 680.

I wonder how many years it will be before we see this level of simulation in games. And I don’t mean rubber duck simulation games. I don’t mind seeing realistic physics for the sake of visual flair but how will the realistic jiggle of water balloons affects gameplay.

16 May 2013

Fuse PS3 Demo Impressions

by No_Style | posted in: Game Previews | 0

I finally got around to trying the Fuse demo last night. It didn’t meet my expectations but not for typical reasons.

Fuse would have been far more amusing with four players chatting over the headset; they would have filled the void of noise or notable audio stimuli. I found Fuse to be muted with its audio. Visually it was fine but the lack of audio punch in nearly everything I was involved with left me underwhelmed.

I was also disappointed by the lack of flair from the characters. They too felt restrained and simply weren’t as funny or witty as I thought they could be. Maybe it’s too early in the campaign and they were not accustomed to each other yet. Or maybe — just maybe — developers should divulge a bit more than what we’re given here.

On the bright side, switching between the different characters worked just as well as switching weapons. I appreciated the fact that I could leave a character in a precarious situation and they would find their way to cover. The A.I was actually competent based on what I witnessed. They set up shields, revived and did kept themselves out of unnecessary trouble.

I’m not going to pick up Fuse. I felt like I got all I wanted out of that demo. The final game could end up being amazing but I can’t help shake the feeling that it would be better played as a 4 player co-operative game.

Also this game probably has the ugliest fire effect on this side of the PlayStation 1.

Fuse will debut on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 28^th, 2013

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