It Will Take 100 Hours To See And Do Everything In Watch Dogs

Pack heavy, your stay in Chicago could be a lengthy one, according to Watch Dogs creative director Jonathan Morin.

Looking to follow the Assassin’s Creed template of ‘more is better’, Watch Dogs will reportedly take forty hours for those ploughing through the story missions. Those who want to see and do everything in Watch Dogs though, will be at it for a staggering one hundred hours…



While we’ve yet to get any extensive information on how the single-player campaign in Watch Dogs unfolds, initial previews seem to indicate that it will be an Assassin’s Creed-like experience. Hacking terminals can unveil the landmarks around you, while there’s set to be countless distractions, mini-games and missions designed to suck you into its world.

So, Watch Dogs is looking to be a pretty hefty game, and that’s without taking into account the Dark Souls-esque invasion multiplayer, which also includes open-world meandering for up to eight players in any one city.

Alongside this news Australia Classification Board (ACB) has also confirmed that there is new content in Watch Dogs, introduced since the initially classified version pre-delay.

“The entire development team has been working hard to polish and fine tune Watch Dogs in order to deliver a truly memorable open world game. In parallel, the extra time also allowed the team to include a bit of additional content,” said Ubisoft in a statement.

“As per Australian classification guidelines, Ubisoft resubmitted the updated version with the added content to the Australian Classification Board. The decision to amend the rating of the game from MA15+ to R18+ was made by the ACB.”

No word just yet on exactly what the new content is, but the ACB report mentions scenes of sexual violence, in missions which deal with human trafficking.

What’s your thoughts on the length of Watch Dogs?Do you think Watch Dogs will be a distinct enough experience from Assassin’s Creed to stand apart?

Head on down to the comments section below and let me know your thoughts!

Short News Friday #9

InFamous: Second Son comes exclusively to PlayStation 4 this time next week, but if you can’t wait that long to get your fix of wanton, mindless violence and destruction, never fear! Sucker Punch has released an official 8 minutes of play-through showing the “Evil Karma” path players opt for as the control protagonist Delsin…

The trailer also shows the influence Delsin Rowe can exert over the young conduit Fetch, who joins in to assist the protagonist in this section of inFamous: Second Son gameplay...

In the gameplay footage, Department of Unified Protection troops, anti-conduit activists and innocent passers by feel the wrath of Fetch and Delsin’s powers. The footage shows some of the range of Delsin’s combat ability, which ranges from blasting cars and people with fireballs, earthquake-like range attacks to flaming headlocks and a good old-fashioned kick in the head.

There's also plenty of free-running around the city, where Delsin can suck neon from lit signs to boost his own powers.inFamous: Second Son comes to PlayStation 4 on the 21st March, meaning you can get hold of a copy of the game from next Friday?

Are you itching to try inFamous: Second Son? Will you be opting to play for good karma or evil karma?Let me know what you think in the comment area.

Microsoft Says Official Xbox One Controller Support Will Come To PC Before End Of Year

Since the launch of the Xbox One back in November, there have been few noises from Microsoft regarding PC compatibility with the Xbox One controller: as of yet, there are no drivers that enable easy use of the next-gen controller with PC.



Now, according to product planning director for Microsoft Albert Penello, it seems Microsoft are planning to release drivers that enable PC gamers to use Xbox One controllers on their home desktops before the end of the year...“The plan is this year,” Penello said earlier this week. “When the update comes out and we have more details, I can explain the holdup.”

He went on to say that once updates are released, the Xbox One controller should work in wired mode with no additional hardware required for compatibility. Wireless mode seems at present to be a matter a little more up for discussion. Whilst Penello underlined that Microsoft is looking at options for wireless compatibility, “First order is getting the wired controller working.”

He also was quick to deny that those who already own an Xbox One controller would need to buy a new, separate one to use on PC once they are compatible.“There is no plan to do a new, separate controller that only works on Windows. It will be the same as it is on Xbox 360 - the Xbox One controller you have today will work.”

Of course, if you can’t wait until the official drivers come out, there are more complicated ways of getting next-gen controllers to work by fooling your PC into thinking they’re Xbox 360 controllers. Modded drivers could also arrive within months. However, it looks like we still might have a little bit longer to wait for an official way of getting around the issue.

Are you keen to get hold of an Xbox One controller that’s compatible with your PC, or is it rather low on your gaming priorities? What do you think support for Xbox One controllers will bring to the gaming table?

Let me know what you think.

Strider 2014 review

Hello there, I'm Accel and this is my review on Strider 2014. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden and Strider,Augmented ninjas seem to be a theme in the first quarter of 2014,there’s no shortage of cyber assassins who favor the direct approach over stealth.These are also two games that represent the recent trend of development collaborations with Western studios on Japanese game properties. It’s been a hit-or-miss as with most gaming trends: for every remarkable Metroid Prime you have a forgettable Front Mission Evolved. In fact, the latter was developed by Double Helix, the same studio that’s collaborating with Capcom on Strider. So naturally, my reaction to the game’s announcement was met with skepticism. This made playing the final version all the more satisfying since, as it turns out, this reimagining of Strider is the second best installment in the series, behind the seminal 1989 arcade co-op game.

Game link: http://www.doublehelixgames.com/
Steam link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/235210/



First impressions paint Double Helix's new Strider with a decidedly arcade-styled brush. Main character Hiryu practically gallops across the world, climbing walls and ceilings. His jumps can be shifted mid-air, with the series' trademark cartwheel in place. There's an action-oriented bent toward the controls.

But this new Strider isn't linear. Instead, Hiryu's new adventure takes place across a massive world of interconnected zones, similarly to the series' NES debut. At first, that world seems seductively open. Strider begins with considerably more player agency and ability than other exploration-based games, and the speed and finesse on display made it a joy to just ... sort of ... run around.

Before long, however, you’ll find power-ups that deepen the combat in satisfying ways: a slide kick for avoiding foes, a charge strike for smashing through enemy shields, kunai for ranged attacks, robotic-animal assault drones, four types of plasma energy to augment your blows (including one that deflects enemy shots), and more. The frantic combat evolves into a stylish display of chaotic fun that succeeds in large part due to the responsive controls.

Additionally, each new power-up works like a key that lets you access new areas of the map, and Strider’s dystopian world simply begs to be explored. As you journey from the outskirts of Kazakh City to deep underground and high into the sky, you’ll often encounter creative (yet familiar) environments and bosses. You’ll climb ornate Russian architecture, fight a giant mechanical gorilla, battle it out in reverse gravity, and invade the enormous flying battleship Balrog, often to catchy remixes of classic Strider tunes. (Too bad the all-new music is fairly forgettable.) There are even some intense platforming sections that combine deadly obstacles, tricky aerial maneuvering, and creative use of Hiryu's abilities to bring back old-school levels of challenge.

Despite the initial reports of Strider’s ‘Metroidvania’ inspired design, the game doesn’t get quite that ambitious. Yes, it has its share of backtracking and incentives to explore, but you can’t help but feel that the overall map could have benefitted from a couple more rounds of revisions. Some of the areas are especially—and impressively—expansive. If you break a grate with a downward attack, don’t be surprised if you break through multiple floors.

 Even when you focus on the objective marker, many levels tease you with alternate paths and locked doors, so make sure to make a mental note to check those areas out later. Sometimes, the next platform you should jump to is off-screen, forcing you to make a leap of faith in the hopes that you land on something, anything. And these levels can be quite large as well. The second area alone takes longer to clear than the original arcade game.

Strider forced me to constantly re-evaluate my combat strategy. Upon entering a new area, you might find enemies who are functionally immune to your current arsenal, necessitating flight instead of engagement. In this way, enemies can be as gated as sections of the map — making it all the sweeter when I came back more than ready to smash everyone who stood in my way.

This creates an overlapping set of incentives to revisit and explore old areas. With new tools, you're less fragile, and have more access. And as you explore, you can find additional enhancements to new abilities in addition to the health and energy power-ups that I found so vital to my survival later on. There are even alternate costumes to find, each of which tells the story of a fallen Strider comrade.

Unfortunately, as enjoyable as navigating the world generally is, it can get confusing at times, especially near the end if you’re trying to find missed collectibles. A few other problems — an abundance of dark foregrounds that detract from the graphics, and the inexcusable decision to use only a single save slot — also prevent the game from being as good as it could be. These are minor complaints, however, about a predominantly excellent title that’s a worthy successor to the Strider name. I would give this game a score 8 out of 10.Believe me you will have a lot of fun with this game.

PlayStation-exclusive Infamous series originally began as an Animal Crossing-style game

The origins of the PlayStation-exclusive Infamous series probably aren't what you expect. Sucker Punch Productions cofounder Chris Zimmerman told GameSpot that after moving on from the Sly Cooper games, the studio's idea for what would become Infamous had a lot in common with Nintendo's Animal Crossing series.



"The original idea for Infamous, believe it or not, was that it was kind of Animal Crossing, but you were a super hero," Zimmerman said. The Animal Crossing franchise is known for its deep social features, and similar elements were planned for the original vision of Infamous.

"All kinds of crazy stuff like that," Zimmerman said. "We worked on that for about a year in that direction. So much more stylized, much more cartoony than what you end up seeing. We worked hard to see if we could make that work."

Zimmerman explained that Sucker Punch did a lot of interesting experimentation with this version of Infamous and even created multiple prototypes.

One of the game's original pitches had players fighting a gang of purple gorillas who were stealing balloons. However, "it really wasn't coming together" and Sucker Punch instead shifted focus to the version Infamous as we know it today.

Unfortunately, I don't have any images of this very early version of Infamous to share.

The next installment in the Infamous series is this month's Infamous: Second Son, which launches March 21 exclusively for the PlayStation 4. For more on Infamous: Second Son, check out GameSpot's just-published coverage from our trip to their studio in Bellevue, Washington.

South Park:The Stick Of Truth review

Hello there, I'm Accel and this is my review on South Park:The Stick Of Truth.It’s no secret that video games based on movies and television programmes suck.Or, to borrow a phrase from Eric Cartman, the Grand High Wizard of the KKK, they “suck b****”.They are half-assed, rushed, and generic. And, are usually a cynical attempt to wring a few dollars out of loyal fans who know they are probably going to be let down but just can’t help reaching for their wallet.

Game link:http://southpark.ubi.com/stickoftruth/en-gb/home/index.aspx
Steam link:http://store.steampowered.com/app/213670/




So, if I said I was pleasantly surprised with the much delayed South Park: The Stick of Truth, it would be a massive understatement.In the game you are the new kid in town. You move in next door to Butters and are immediately drawn into the battle between the Grand High Wizard’s human forces and the Drow Elf King’s dark elf army.


You bounce around the town, fast travelling with the help of Timmy, searching houses, garages, and businesses. Completing story and side missions. And fighting giant rats, aliens, zombies, and dire bears.

The battle mechanic involves you and one little buddy, in the beginning it’s Butters but eventually you can choose from six characters, facing off against single or multiple enemies.When it’s your turn you can take a health or buff potion then summon help, use a special or magical attack, or resort to a simple ranged or melee attack. It’s standard stuff, that is thankfully kept fresh by how imaginative, and disgusting, the attacks are.

But throughout all the inventory management, special skill upgrading, vomit, blood, and excrement, the game stays completely faithful to the television show.This means that, like the show, the game will say and show ANYTHING


If Parker and Stone think it’s funny to throw poo at something (metaphorically or not), or even funnier to get a video game character to do the throwing for them, then they will.Which leads nicely, or rather unpleasantly, into the game’s rating. The Stick of Truth is an R16 title, and deservedly so.The language is full on, there are no television bleeps here.


But, beyond that, if you take the time to play through the game you’ll see things that you’ve never seen in a video game before (even though you’ll spend the rest of the year praying you could un-see them).As mentioned already there’s poo throwing. There’s a lot of farting, epic tea-bagging, a touch of paedophilia, and dildo fighting - if you’re into that kind of thing.Also, if you’ve been paying attention to recent gaming news, you’ll know there’s, worst of all, alien anal probing! Even if it has been censored.


You can max out your character at level 15 well within eight hours.

Also, I found that the sound fell out of sync with the pictures, sometimes so badly it skipped dialogue to catch up.

On top of this there’s no multiplayer, nothing to do online, and only four classes to choose from. Unfortunately, you can’t switch classes within the story so if you want to see all their abilities you’ll have to start four new games.

There are also the usual complaints associated with turn based RPGs. If you’re not into the whole RPG thing the battles get a bit repetitive.Although you can’t call it grinding because the game isn’t long enough for it to be an issue.

Despite the game’s limitations, developers’ Obsidian Entertainment has, with a lot of input from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, produced a very enjoyable game. It looks fantastic, bold and bright, just like the television show.The voice acting is perfect. You meet and interact with more than a hundred South Park characters. And did I mention it’s laugh out loud funny?


It’s impossible to give examples without spoiling the jokes.

Usually in a game review I’d mention a few awesome high level abilities, describe the odd set piece, and quote a few one-liners to give an idea of what you can expect from the game.

But, the jokes are such a big part of the game’s fun I’d hate to give anything away.So in the end,i will give this game a score 8 out of 10.

IGNORE THIS...... EMILLLL

Short Friday News #8

Amid the excitement of yesterday’s Watch Dogs release date announcement some news slipped out about the PC version, and most importantly how it’ll be running on some rigs.

First things first, Watch Dogs began development on PC, so Ubisoft Montreal believes that it should look fantastic on PC. Despite also releasing on the previous-gen consoles though, if you’re hoping to get away with running it on an older rig, you’d probably best think again…


The Watch Dogs PC version scales based on the sort of computer you're running it on, though the team made the decision "not too scale down too much," according to Watch Dogs' senior producer Dominic Guay. "I mean you can always say we support a 10-year-old PC and then it's barely playable, but that's ugly. It's not really what people want to play. We didn't do that. We didn't go there. We said, ‘OK, we advertise that at the recommended setting it's going to be a good experience. It's going to look good, it's not going to look like a 10-year-old game.' So we're not going to support very old PCs.”

For those of you who’ve spent some big bucks on your gaming PC though, well, you’re in luck. “If you have very powerful PCs, then it'll scale up, and it scale up to even higher resolution, obviously, than you can have on PS4 or Xbox One,” Guay continued. "So you can have, in theory, a version that will look spectacular if you have that big screen, that high resolution capability. The game looks great on PC."

When development began on Watch Dogs it was before Ubisoft had got wind of the next-gen consoles. They knew they were coming but they didn’t what they when or when they’d arrive. To compensate for this Ubisoft Montreal developed it for PC first, knowing they could upscale it or downscale it as necessary for whichever platforms it would release on. "When we started developing, the PS3 existed, the Xbox 360 existed, and we kind of suspected, maybe, there might be other platforms eventually," Guay said. "So, because we thought that would happen we chose the PC as our first target to have when we started developing Watch Dogs so that we have the flexibility to adapt to a different platform. So PC has always been around for us. Sometimes it's a last-minute port of sorts. For us, it's been around since we started."

Good news for PC gamers, but also a tacit admission perhaps that many PC ports are rushed out the door quickly…

The Watch Dogs release date was officially unveiled yesterday. Watch Dogs will release worldwide on May 27th for PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360. A Wii U version is expected some time later.Do you think the final Watch Dogs system requirements will be as high as the specs leaked all those months ago?

What do you make of the admission that sometimes the PC version of games is “a last-minute port of sorts”? Share it on the comment section down below.